“60 Minutes” Executive Producer Nick Bilton reaffirmed his commitment to editorial independence in a memo to staff Thursday, sharing that he’s consulted with newsroom veterans Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim in the days since firing correspondent Scott Pelley and others.
In an email to staff, Bilton explained the path forward following a week of terminations – including EP Tanya Simon in addition to Pelley and “Inside CECOT” producer Sharyn Alfonsi. He also announced he was upping longtime staffer Maria Gavrilovic to senior producer as a part of his push for independence and emphasized that Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim were “core to this show’s success.”
His reliance on the veteran correspondents came as speculation mounted around their future at the newsmagazine after beloved colleague Pelley was unceremoniously dismissed on Tuesday.
“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.”
He added: “Sunday night works. It’s the best hour of television journalism anywhere. We’re going to continue to do the things we do that make it so great – the scheduled screenings, the detailed script work, the editing, the long format of the pieces. I am a curious person and I love stories, and as an executive producer I will shape the show writ large. I’ll bat around ideas with you, I’ll dive into scripts and edits with you and I will sign off on pieces. The fearless correspondents and the intrepid producers will continue to be the core of each piece we broadcast. Discussion, debate and disagreement are essential to the making of good journalism. All will be done in good faith and always with respect and trust – and with fidelity to the practices that have served us well for 58 years.”
Read the memo in full below:
The update came after Pelley was terminated for a Monday clash with Bilton, in which he accused editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the program.
“Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear,” “60 Minutes” Bilton wrote in a letter sent to Pelley and reviewed by TheWrap earlier this 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.”
Weiss defended the organization’s decision to fire Pelley on a Wednesday morning call with staffers, saying he broke a foundation of “trust and mutual respect” when he railed against her and Bilton during the staff-wide meeting on Monday. Though, Weiss did say that she tried to “engage with [Pelley] and to find a way back.”
Pelley later claimed that this summary of events was “not true,” adding in a new statement, “No CBS executive, at any time, suggested ‘a way back.’ To say so now is disingenuous. And they know it.”
CBS News did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for additional comment.
