CBS News Parts Ways with Scott Pelley After He Disrupted Staff Meeting, Breaking Trust

CBS News fired longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley on Tuesday after a contentious staff meeting the previous day. Pelley interrupted incoming executive producer Nick Bilton shortly after Bilton's introductory remarks and challenged Bilton's qualifications. Pelley also accused Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss of being brought in to kill 60 Minutes and of murdering the storied newsmagazine.

Bari Weiss addressed staff during an M. editorial call on Wednesday. She said the foundation of trust and mutual respect was broken on Monday. "I'm only interested in working in a newsroom built on trust and mutual respect; we cannot do our work without it.

That foundation was broken on Monday," Weiss said. "Despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and find a way forward, unfortunately we weren't able to do so, and so we had to part ways," she added. Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski sent a memo to staff four days before the Monday meeting.

The memo outlined a vision for 60 Minutes to thrive in the 21st century and stated that doing so requires a new approach. Weiss praised Pelley's reporting on Havana syndrome and his interview with former Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse.

She said Nick Bilton would put stories on the air in September for Season 59. Pelley joined 60 Minutes in 2004. He is the third correspondent fired since Weiss took over CBS News last year. Another longtime correspondent, Anderson Cooper, left voluntarily.

Three regular correspondents remain. Weiss referred to some new people joining the staff but did not provide names.