Lesley Stahl thinks that the recent tumult at “60 Minutes” is among the most difficult she’s experienced in her professional life.
Under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, “60 Minutes” dismissed in recent weeks executive producer Tanya Simon, correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, and last Tuesday Scott Pelley after he objected to the firings. On Friday, Stahl and fellow correspondents Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim spoke out about the recent upheaval at the newsmagazine, noting that they’re choosing to stay with the program because they didn’t want to see it “die.”
Stahl told Puck that the shake-up marks one of the worst moments in her career.
“It’s just been obviously the hardest chapter of my career,” Stahl said.
She added: “And it’s been a long career. It’s been over 50 years. This was by far the worst experience I’ve been involved in, or even witnessed. I mean, firing seven people, including the entire management team over here, plus reporters and producers …”
The show’s new executive producer Nick Bilton reaffirmed late last week his commitment to independent journalism at “60 Minutes” and shared that he’d consulted with Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim on next steps. He emphasized they were “core to this show’s success.”
“It has been a trying and difficult few days,” Bilton wrote. “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.”
The biggest waves from the cuts came when Pelley was terminated following a clash with Bilton, in which he accused Weiss of “murdering” the program.
“Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear,” “60 Minutes” EP Bilton wrote in a letter sent to Pelley and reviewed by TheWrap last week. “And I have heard you. I therefore write on behalf of CBS News to inform you that your employment with CBS is terminated for cause effective immediately.”
In response to his firing, Pelley issued a lengthy statement, where he suggested that Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison was “casting aside” the news program to curry favor with Donald Trump. He also reiterated accusations he made to The New York Times earlier on Tuesday, that “new management [had] instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story.” He also alleged that politicians had been given “control over ’60 Minutes’ interviews.”
