Remaining three 60 Minutes stars say theyre staying at CBS show, dont want to see it die
NEW YORK (AP) — ‘We don’t want to see 60 Minutes die,’ three remaining reporters say CBS News program plagued by turmoil I decided to stay for now.
A memo from Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim and Bill Whitaker to employees at the CBS News show expressed anger over recent layoffs on the show, noting that the three had a “hard time” deciding whether to stay, but ultimately decided to stay.
“The reason we’re here to stay is this: We don’t want to see ’60 Minutes’ die,” the trio wrote in a joint memo Friday obtained by The Associated Press.
They expressed regret that CBS News’ new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, and executive producer Nick Bilton, whom she hired last week, recently fired their colleagues. She replaces Tanya Simon, who was let go after more than 30 years on the show, and reporters Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, among other senior staff. Scott Pelley at the time got fired this week after A tense confrontation with CBS News bosses.
“We would like to express how sorry we are that these principled, fair and honest journalists were treated so disgracefully and immorally,” the three reporters wrote in their notes. he said. But they said they were “working to build trust” with new boss Bilton and left open the possibility he could leave later if necessary.
“If we can continue to do the work that made this show what it is—performing independent, fearless acts of journalism and storytelling—that’s what we’re here for,” the trio wrote. “If not, we’ll break up.”
“Here’s to Season 59!” note ended.
Convincing the three to stay was a crucial step in Bilton’s mission to get the show back on track for next season, which premieres in September.
The show suddenly lost four reporters. In addition to the three people fired, there is also Anderson Cooper, whose main job is broadcasting live on CNN. He said he would leave at the beginning of this year twenty years later, of his own volition.
Coups were seen on “60 Minutes” for more than a year. Most of this comes after President Donald Trump sued the show Organizing the 2024 interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
This became part of a broader change at CBS News following Weiss’s dismissal. Appointed as new editor-in-chief by parent company Paramount late last year following the arrival of David Ellison as the network’s corporate leader.
Ellison’s company, Skydance merges with CBS parent Paramounthe later settled the Trump case for $16 million. This upset some at “60 Minutes” and indirectly departure last month Stephen Colbert, the longtime popular CBS late-night show host, called the deal a “massive bribe.”
CBS News has been at the center of the American broadcast-news ecosystem since the days of radio before the dawn of television, Weiss said earlier this year. announced the closure of CBS News’ radio operation. For decades, the network’s nightly newscast was considered one of the nation’s most trusted institutions. long-time news anchor Walter Cronkite.
Jocelyn Noveck covers the intersection of media and entertainment for The Associated Press.
