What To Know
- Despite recent major staff changes and the firing of Scott Pelley, Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim have confirmed they will remain with 60 Minutes.
- The show has seen significant turnover under editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, including the departures of executive producer Tanya Simon and several correspondents.
- New executive producer Nick Bilton expressed support for the remaining trio and acknowledged ongoing changes aimed at reaching new audiences and platforms.
There have been some seismic shifts in the makeup of 60 Minutes under the Bari Weiss era at CBS News — most recently, the ouster of Scott Pelley, who was sharply critical of the editor-in-chief. However, a new report indicates that there are some stalwarts of the show who are expected to stay right where they are.
Variety reports that the trio announced their intention to stay with the newsmagazine on Friday (June 5) in a memo, writing, “We have decided to stay on.”
Even so, their letter also expressed their dismay over the state of the show at present: “We have had a hard time deciding whether to stay at 60 Minutes. We’re still deeply upset by the firings of Tanya and Draggan, strong leaders who everyone respected. As far as we can tell — because no explanation has ever been offered, they were expelled because they fought for our 60 Minutes values and stood up to protect our independence and integrity. Newsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships. Collaboration and argument are the way we have always worked at 60. Don Hewitt actually encouraged loud passionate advocacy for our pieces.”
The news came after a tornado of turnover for the program, including the exits of executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, and the firings of Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, and Pelley.
Prior to the announcement from Stahl, Whitaker, and Wertheim, there were questions emerging about their future on the series amid all of the turmoil — the most recent report indicated Stahl, at least, would stay and had already begun filming for next season.
Recently, Weiss announced that Simon would be replaced by tech journalist and filmmaker Nick Bilton.
Pelley’s ouster came on the heels of the longtime correspondent speaking out against the personnel and policy changes of Weiss’ tenure. Pelley reportedly voiced his concerns at a June 1 staff meeting, accusing Weiss of “murdering” the series and saying that Bilton had “slender qualifications” for the job. Pelley was then fired “for cause.”
Despite Pelley’s termination and the questions about the future of the program that resulted from all of the firings and personnel shifts, Bilton reportedly was fond of the trio who have now decided to remain with it.
In a note to staff, he wrote, “Team, it has been a trying and difficult few days. I know that. I’ve spent a lot of time in conversation with many of you, and especially in consultation with Lesley, Bill, and Jon. We talked about what makes 60 Minutes exceptional, about the traditions and legacy of the past, about how you do the work that produces such momentous pieces. We also talked about change: About new audiences, new platforms, and new ways of storytelling that these new audiences need. We’ll speak more about that in the weeks to come.”
60 Minutes, Sundays, 7/6c, CBS