Scott Pelley on His Departure from ’60 Minutes’ and the Bari Weiss Era

The Influence of ’60 Minutes’

’60 Minutes,’ a prominent television-news program on CBS, has held a significant role in American journalism since its inception in 1968. It’s been a platform for celebrated journalists such as Mike Wallace, Ed Bradley, Lesley Stahl, and Anderson Cooper. Until recently, Scott Pelley was also part of this team.

Pelley’s Career and Departure

Scott Pelley spent 37 years at CBS, gaining recognition as a White House correspondent, anchor of the ‘CBS Evening News,’ and ’60 Minutes’ correspondent. His recent departure was marked by a series of events at CBS, including a settlement involving a ’60 Minutes’ segment related to President Trump and the network’s sale to David Ellison. The appointment of Bari Weiss as head of CBS News, despite her lack of television-news experience, was a pivotal change.

Controversy and Editorial Changes

Pelley’s firing followed the controversial dismissal of several ’60 Minutes’ colleagues, as well as the hiring of Nick Bilton, a new leader for the program. Pelley clashed with Bilton during a meeting, which was a contributing factor to his exit. Pelley and other former correspondents have accused Weiss of editorial interference and bias, allegations that both CBS News and Weiss have denied.

Pelley’s Perspective

In an interview with Lulu Garcia-Navarro, Pelley expressed his concerns about the changes at CBS News. He discussed what he perceived as interference and shared his experiences during the turbulent period at the network.

The dismissal of key ’60 Minutes’ staff came unexpectedly and was significant. Tanya Simon, the first female executive producer of ’60 Minutes,’ led the program to expand its audience by nine percent and its online presence by 190 percent during the last season.

While the network experienced growth in viewership, Pelley and his colleagues faced a challenging environment, leading to significant changes within CBS.