CBS News Fires Veteran 60 Minutes Correspondent Scott Pelley Over Strained Relations","description":"After accusing editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss of undermining the show and alleging the new producer lacked qualifications, longtime 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley was dismissed, deepening turmoil at the flagship news program.","summary":"Scott Pelley, the iconic 60 Minutes correspondent, was fired by CBS News following a heated staff meeting where he accused the network’s leadership of threatening the program’s integrity. The move, coming days after a leadership overhaul, highlights the conflict between Pelley, new executive producer Nick Bilton, and editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss.","image":"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/cd33d6d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3600x2400+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F6c%2Fe7%2Fb553edb5b6448206b538498b3370%2F8c9c8f390853414fbe6839e426ea0b66","text":"<p>CBS News fired longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley on Tuesday, a day after he reportedly said Editor‑in‑Chief Bari Weiss was “murdering the show” and accused its new producer of having “slender qualifications” for the job.</p><p>The move deepened the turmoil at the nation’s most influential TV news program days after a leadership overhaul.</p><p>Pelley, 68, criticized management Monday during a fiery staff meeting with Nick Bilton, the program’s new executive producer installed by Weiss last week, according to a detailed report on the Status website.</p><p>In a termination notice obtained Tuesday night by The Associated Press, Bilton, a technology journalist and filmmaker with no traditional broadcast news experience, accused Pelley of carrying out an “ambush” against him.</p><p>“Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt,” the letter states.</p><p>Pelley said in his statement that “60 Minutes” has lost its DNA under new management. He accused them of asking him to “inject falsehoods and bias” into his work, without sharing specific details.</p><p>Pelley’s statement also claimed his colleagues “stood for fairness against the forces of political bias.” He further accused CEO David Ellison of casting aside the show’s reputation “apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.”</p><p>In the dismissal letter Tuesday, Bilton said Pelley’s “performative display of hostility” demonstrated that he has “no interest in contributing to the future success of the show.”</p><p>Since Weiss took over the network’s news operation last October, it has traveled a bumpy road. Pelley’s termination came just five days after Weiss, who has become a polarizing figure in the media world, told staff that it was time for a “new approach” at the top‑rated newsmagazine.</p><p>In the memo, Weiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski said their goal for “60 Minutes” was “building a show that thrives in the 21st century.” That could include extending the show beyond a 60‑minute broadcast.</p><p>“60 Minutes” first aired in 1968 and is the longest‑running prime‑time show in TV history. Its investigative journalism and probing interviews have given it the reputation of uncompromising journalism—precisely the trait that Pelley said was under assault.</p><p>Pelley started working for CBS in 1989. He was its chief White House Correspondent from 1997 to 1999, during Bill Clinton’s presidency, and anchored “CBS Evening News” from 2011 to 2017. He has won 51 Emmy Awards, according to his CBS bio.</p>