Barry Weiss addressed the elephant in the room during CBS News’ daily editorial meeting Wednesday morning.
Late Tuesday night, CBS fired veteran Scott Pelley 60 minutes Reporter and former CBS Evening News Anchor, having criticized Weiss and the new 60 Executive producer Nick Bilton in a meeting with the show’s cast on Monday.
Weiss used the call to explain the decision, as first reported by Jeremy Barr.
“I know I speak for myself, and I hope I speak for everyone here when I say that I am only interested in working in a newsroom built on trust and mutual respect. We cannot do our work without that,” Weiss said. “That foundation was broken on Monday, and despite our attempts to reach out to Scott Pelley and find a way back, we were unfortunately unable to do so, and so we had to part ways.”
She continued: “We did not want this to happen, but this is the path he chose.” “This unfortunate outcome does not diminish the wonderful contributions and work that Scott Pelley has done to and for CBS.” 60 minutes Throughout his career.”
Weiss’s comments are similar to those she made at the daily meeting late last year, after she held a meeting 60 minutes Story by Sharyn Alfonsi about the notorious CECOT prison.
“I want to say something about trust: our trust in each other and our trust in the public,” Weiss said at the time. “The only newsroom I care to run is one where we are able to have contentious disagreements on thorny editorial matters with respect and, most importantly, where we assume the good faith of our colleagues. Anything else is absolutely unacceptable.”
In a statement of his own in response to Weiss’s comments (first reported by Ben Mullen), Bailey wrote that “Barry Weiss knows what she said is not true,” adding that “at no time did anyone at Tuesday’s meeting suggest that there might be steps taken by either side that would lead to a resolution.”
“These executives cannot gain employees’ trust with lies,” he added.
At Monday’s meeting, Billy told Pelton that Weiss was “killing.” 60 minutes. “She doesn’t like this place, she was brought to kill him and she’s doing just that,” she said, saying he had “slim” qualifications for the European Parliament job.
“Yesterday you hijacked my first staff meeting to belittle me, my qualifications, and my intentions with marked rudeness and disdain,” Belton told Bailey in his Tuesday memo informing him of his termination. He added: “I welcome diversity of views and respectful debate among the team, but this was nothing of the sort.”
In a statement of his own late Tuesday, Belelli again attacked the leadership, criticizing their actions since he took office late last year.
“For my part, the new administration ordered me to introduce lies and bias into a politically sensitive story,” he said. “I have been asked to include unverified assertions. So far, in every case, I have been able to ignore or reject these instructions. Recently, politicians have been invited to select reporters to conduct interviews on broadcasts. Giving politicians control over radio broadcasts. 60 minutes Interviews aren’t how it’s done. Finally, the incompetence and unprofessionalism of the new management created chaos.
Pelton, ex New York Times and Vanity gallery The technology reporter, was chosen as the EP of the show last week. He outlined some of the changes he hopes to interview THRincluding expanding the list of correspondents and bringing the show to more digital platforms.
Updated at 8:55 a.m. with Bailey’s statement.
