cbs news ‘Fired Veteran’60 minutes” reporter Scott Pelley said Tuesday, June 2, after meeting with management to address his criticism of the news magazine’s new leadership.
According to CNN, newly appointed “60 Minutes” executive producer Nick Bilton wrote to Paley on Tuesday night, “Despite the inappropriate behavior yesterday, I hope that when we sit down with you today we can collectively find a path forward. You made it clear that you are not interested in that path.”
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“Your distaste for the show’s future has been abundantly clear,” Bilton wrote. “And I hear you.”
As a result, he added, “your employment with CBS will terminate immediately.”
Five things to know
Here are five things to know after Scott Pelley was fired:
- Pelley questioned and criticized Bilton at a staff meeting on Monday, June 1. His harsh remarks were leaked to outside news outlets, sparking a crisis within CBS, CNN reported.
- Paley accuses editor-in-chief Barry Weiss tried to “kill” the news magazine and objected to her hiring Bilton, a former technology reporter with little TV news experience, to run the show.
- Paley reportedly refused to meet privately with Bilton and Weiss to discuss last Thursday’s shakeup of “60 Minutes,” which included firing top producers and two reporters. Bilton was appointed the same day.
- Paley called Weis and Bilton unfit for their jobs during a staff meeting on Monday. He even said Bilton “will never be welcome here.”
- The meeting ended without any clear resolution on the way forward. On Tuesday night, Bilton wrote to the “60 Minutes” staff about Paley’s exit, “I know what Scott means to many of you, and I don’t say this lightly. I made multiple attempts over the weekend to have a direct conversation with him, and this afternoon I tried to find common ground. That is not the path Scott has chosen.”
“I’m not going to complain to you about last week again,” Bilton added. “What I will pledge is this: my unwavering support for each of you, the journalism you do, and the things we will do together in the future.”
