Longtime ’60 Minutes’ correspondent Scott Pelley was taken by surprise when CBS News President Tom Cibrowski summoned him for a meeting. Pelley expected a lengthy discussion about his recent confrontation with his new boss, Nick Bilton. Instead, the meeting lasted about 10 minutes, ending with Pelley being fired, which he did not foresee.
Pelley shared these revelations in a poignant interview with The New York Times’ Lulu Garcia-Navarro. He expressed his shock and disappointment over the situation, describing it as though ‘your spouse was murdered.’
Pelley’s Unawareness of ‘Black Thursday’
Five days prior to his firing, sweeping changes were announced at CBS News. New editor in chief Bari Weiss installed Nick Bilton, replacing executive producer Tanya Simon and dismissing two correspondents and other staff members. Pelley refers to this day as ‘Black Thursday.’ He recalls the upheaval as unexpected, especially considering Simon’s record audience growth of nine percent, an unusual feat in broadcast television.
No one saw the Black Thursday massacre coming. This is our entire senior staff. Tanya Simon, our boss, she’s the first woman ever to be executive producer of ‘60 Minutes.’
Emotional Ties to ’60 Minutes’
Pelley, who had been with CBS for 37 years, became emotional describing his connection to ’60 Minutes.’ The strong camaraderie among colleagues was evident as they often worked, traveled, and experienced difficult situations together.
That’s a family at ‘60 Minutes’. My colleagues and I have worked together 10, 20, 30 years. We travel together. We dine together. We go into combat together.
He recounted how former boss and producer Bill Owens once saved his life in Iraq, illustrating the deep bonds within the team.
An ‘Insulting’ Email Preceded the Meeting
Before meeting with the new leadership, Bilton sent an email that Pelley found offensive. The message implied that the staff were out of touch, comparing them to an outdated era.
It was so insulting … He told us it wasn’t 1968 anymore, and gasoline doesn’t cost 32 cents anymore. He suggested we were stuck in the past.
A ‘Tone-Deaf’ Introduction
At the staff meeting, instead of hearing from Weiss, Bilton read from his phone, frustrating many in the room.
Nick makes his way to the front of the room and does something absolutely jaw-dropping to me. He pulls out his phone and begins reading a statement off it in a room full of 50 heartbroken people.
Pelley criticized the impersonal approach and the lack of substantive engagement.
Pelley Did Not Expect to Be Fired
Despite the tense meeting where Pelley questioned Bilton’s qualifications, he did not think his position was in jeopardy.
Oh gosh, the furthest thing from my mind. …Some reporter I turned out to be. I just didn’t connect the dots.
Leadership Allegedly Pushed for ‘Falsehoods and Bias’
Pelley alleged that Weiss pressured them to present an altered narrative in a story about confrontations in Minneapolis. He refused to comply, concerned about political bias.
We get the piece approved by everyone. About four hours after our deadline, Bari Weiss sends an email to my boss. … There was a thumb on the scale for the president’s version of events.
Communication with Colleagues
Since his departure, Pelley has not spoken with colleagues Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim, and Bill Whitaker. They opted to stay, believing they could maintain the show’s integrity from within, a notion Pelley now doubts.
I haven’t talked to them. … we have had conversations before this about staying to maintain the principles of the broadcast. … (Now) I would venture to say that trust is broken.
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