Scott Pelley, a long-time correspondent for 60 Minutes, the former anchor of the CBS Evening News and a veteran of CBS News who joined the network in 1989, has been fired.
Pelley was let go Tuesday one day after a tense meeting with Nick Bilton – the new executive producer of 60 Minutes – during which Pelley lambasted Bilton and CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss. In an all hands meeting Pelley accused Weiss and Bilton of “murdering” the highest rated news show on television.
The decision to fire Pelley means that four of the program’s top correspondents have either quit or been fired in the last two weeks. Three remain; Bill Whitaker, Lesley Stahl and Jon Wertheim. Whitaker is 74, Stahl is 84, Wertheim is 55.
Laurel readers may recall that Pelley often worked on his 60 Minutes stories from a home studio in Darien, Connecticut.
Here are links to some of the early coverage:
Pelley Fired – CNN
CBS Fires Pelley – New York Times
Pelley Out – Variety
Roughly two hours after the news broke CBS published its own story explaining Pelley’s dismissal:
CBS Fires Pelley – CBS News
Developing…
