The new top producer at “60 Minutes” is thanking staffers for their work after what he said was “a hell of a first week.”
“It has been a trying and difficult few days,” said Nick Bilton, who recently became the executive producer at “60 Minutes,” in a memo viewed by Business Insider.
Bilton was grilled by longtime correspondent Scott Pelley about his qualifications and those of his boss, CBS News top editor Bari Weiss. While both Bilton and Weiss worked at news organizations like The New York Times, neither had a background in TV news.
Pelley confronted Bilton on Monday during his inaugural all-hands meeting after CBS let go of “60 Minutes” correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Pelley also said Weiss was “murdering” the “60 Minutes” program, according to audio obtained by Status and The New York Times.
CBS then fired Pelley on Tuesday, with Bilton telling the network veteran his “antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear.”
Weiss told CBS News staffers in an editorial meeting Wednesday morning that the broadcast network “had to part ways” with Pelley, saying that she was “only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect.”
Bilton said in his Thursday memo that “the foundation of 60 Minutes is its journalistic independence” and said the new program “will always pursue stories without fear or favor.”
“It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: We will never be instructed by the ownership of the company on those stories,” Bilton wrote.
In statements following their exits, Pelley, Alfonsi, and Vega all described clashes with CBS News leadership over issues of editorial integrity and the network’s direction.
Critics of Weiss have said she is trying to make the network more politically palatable to President Donald Trump, whose administration will need to grant regulatory approval for CBS News’ parent company, Paramount, to merge with Warner Bros. Discovery. Weiss and Paramount have broadly denied that the changes to CBS News were intended to curry favor with Trump. Weiss has framed the changes as necessary to overhaul the century-old news organization for the digital era.
Bilton also broke some news in his memo, naming Maria Gavrilovic as senior producer for “60 Minutes.”
Following the departures of Pelley, Alfonsi, and Vega — plus Anderson Cooper’s recent exit — only three full-time “60 Minutes” correspondents remain: Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim.
In the memo, Bilton said that “Lesley, Bill and Jon are core to this show’s success.”
There has been widespread speculation in the media industry about whether the remaining correspondents will stick around.
Read Bilton’s full memo here:
SUBJECT LINE: Looking forward Team, It has been a trying and difficult few days. 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. There are a few things I want to emphasize now. 60 Minutes is an extraordinary show. It’s beloved by audiences and is part of the American fabric. That’s because of your ambition for the most daring and revelatory stories. Your commitment to accuracy and care. Your standards of excellence in presentation, reporting and production. The foundation of 60 Minutes is its journalistic independence. We will always pursue stories without fear or favor. We will always make the story the North Star—not relationships nor politics nor anything else. We will be guided solely and always by what makes the best piece for our viewers. And it should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: We will never be instructed by the ownership of the company on those stories. 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 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. Right now, I want to turn to the hard work of Season 59. I want to learn from you, and people who know this show intimately will be by my side. Indeed, I’m thrilled to announce that Maria Gavrilovic has just been named Senior Producer. She will be one of those people. Lesley, Bill and Jon are core to this show’s success. They have sat across from the most powerful people in the world and refused to blink. Audiences trust them because they have proved it, story by story, for decades. Working with them is a privilege and every journalist’s dream. Over the past few days, I have thanked each of you for your work, and I will say it again here: thank you. It’s been a hell of a first week. Let’s get to work. Until then, Nick
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