Scott Pelley Fired by CBS News After Berating New Boss in Staff Meeting

An audio recording of the exchange was obtained by Status and The New York Times.

The clash lasted roughly 15 minutes before Bilton ended the meeting and walked out. Pelley joined CBS News in 1989. He has served as a 60 Minutes correspondent since 2004 and anchored the CBS Evening News from 2011 through 2017.

Bari Weiss was appointed Editor-in-Chief of CBS News last year. She has described her changes to 60 Minutes and other programs as an effort to adapt the network for the digital era. Two other 60 Minutes correspondents, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, left the program last week.

Sharyn Alfonsi cited an editorial dispute in which Bari Weiss delayed a December segment on the Trump administration's migrant deportation practices involving El Salvador's CECOT prison. Bari Weiss told staff the delay was not politically motivated. Pelley was informed of his termination the following day in a message from Nick Bilton.

Pelley issued a public statement on Wednesday morning. " He also wrote: "For my part, new management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I've been told to include assertions that are unverified.

Pelley further stated: "Recently, politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast. " CBS News did not immediately respond to the Guardian's request for comment about the statement.