Scott Pelley Fired by CBS One Day After Openly Challenging New Leadership at 60 Minutes Meeting

Eighteen-year-old high school senior Santiago Campos accepted the Mike Wallace Memorial Scholarship at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards in New York City and used his 90-second speech to criticize the recent direction of CBS News. Campos said the changes “stain the legacy of Mike Wallace” and spoke against “corporate elites” taking over journalism.

, area, told NBC News he wondered at the time whether Pelley knew the content of his remarks.

Days later, Pelley was fired after a nearly 40-year run at CBS News. The firing came one day after a Monday meeting held to introduce executive producer Nick Bilton, during which Pelley openly challenged leadership and accused Bari Weiss of “murdering” the program that debuted in 1968. “60 Minutes” just ended its 58th season.

Over the past week, Sharyn Alfonsi confirmed that her CBS News deal had expired, and several other key senior staff members were let go. Staffers now feel “completely adrift” and face “great uncertainty” about the future of the three remaining full-time correspondents, Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim.

On Wednesday, Bari Weiss addressed network employees in a call and said newsroom leaders could not “find a way back” with Pelley.

Weiss stated, “I hope I speak, I know I speak for myself, and I hope I speak for everyone here when I say that I’m only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect. ” CBS News spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Pelley’s statement.

” He called Pelley’s decision to speak out the “right thing to do” and said the scholarship money is “secured” and he does not believe CBS has any way of pulling it.