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“60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley had a heated confrontation with his new boss on Monday, scolding CBS News for “murdering” the iconic program.
Last week, CBS News fired “60 Minutes” correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, along with the program’s executive producer Tanya Simon and other behind-the-scenes staffers. Nick Bilton, a documentary filmmaker and a former New York Times columnist, was selected by the network’s polarizing editor-in-chief Bari Weiss to serve as the new EP.
Bilton met with the remaining staff on Monday in a pre-planned meeting to discuss the show’s future, but Pelley used the gathering to unload on Weiss after Bilton said Weiss loved “60 Minutes,” one of the news business’ most revered programs.
“She’s murdering 60 Minutes. She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that,” Pelley said. The quote was first reported by The Guardian and confirmed by Fox News Digital.
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Weiss, who was named editor-in-chief of CBS News in October after her outlet, The Free Press, was acquired by new Paramount CEO David Ellison, has attempted to tamp down the network’s liberal approach to the news. She overhauled “CBS Evening News” by tapping Tony Dokoupil as its new anchor and made “60 Minutes” her next target while the show is on a summer hiatus.
Status, a left-leaning media newsletter that is frequently critical of Weiss, obtained audio of Bilton’s disastrous meeting with staffers. Fox News Digital has confirmed the quotes published by Status are accurate.
Pelley also told the group that Weiss has “no qualifications for her job” and bluntly informed Bilton, who has no linear television experience, that he has “slender qualifications” for his new role.
Pelley, who has been critical of Weiss and CBS parent company Paramount for months, asked, “So why should we expect any of this is going to be any better?”
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Bickering ensued, and Pelley began peppering Bilton with questions about why particular “60 Minutes” staffers were terminated and CBS News managing editor Charles Forelle eventually suggested Pelley was being rude.
“I’m not being rude… you know what was rude? Black Thursday. That was the absolute definition of rudeness,” Pelley shot back, referring to the firings.
“This is a conversation,” Pelley added. “That is rude, and you were part of that.”
As the infighting continued, Bilton suggested that Pelley speak directly with Weiss, who was not at the meeting.
“What I would like to do right now is talk about what happens next,” Bilton said, but “60 Minutes” staffers continued to argue.
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“You have no idea what my plans are, so I will present those plans to you. I will present them when the time is right,” Bilton said.
Pelley didn’t let up, asking his new boss if he knew how the firings were going to play out.
“I am not intimidated by — I have been a journalist for 25 years, Scott. I have sat and talked with incredibly powerful people like you have,” Bilton shot back. “None of it intimidates me, OK? So you are not going to intimidate me in front of this group of people.”
CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Remaining “60 Minutes” correspondents include Pelley, Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim. Anderson Cooper previously announced his departure from “60 Minutes” as a correspondent in February after nearly two decades.
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