June 3 (UPI) -- CBS News has fired veteran journalist Scott Pelley from "60 Minutes" after a dispute with a new executive producer two days earlier.
Pelley, 68, is a former anchor of CBS's "Evening News," joining the network in 1989. Pelley is a familiar face on Sunday nights as a correspondent for "60 Minutes.".
On Monday, Pelley expressed dissatisfaction with the recent firing of two correspondents and the program's management. He told his new producer, Nick Bilton, a technology journalist hired last week, that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss was "killing '60 Minutes.'".
«"She was hired to do this, and that's exactly what she's doing," The Hill reported, citing Pelley's words to Bilton.
In a memo sent to staff on Tuesday evening, Bilton said, "We have parted ways with Scott Pelley," The New York Times reported. The network declined to comment.
Bilton wrote Pelley a formal letter explaining his resignation, which was leaked to The Times. He informed Pelley that he was "dismissed for good reason, effective immediately.".
«"I've seen combat in Afghanistan," Pelley told The Times. "I've seen combat in Iraq. I've been to the war zone in Ukraine multiple times, risking my life and the happiness of my family because of my dedication to broadcasting.".
He said he still loved the show.
The program is CBS News' most successful program, with ratings up 91 TP3T compared to last year. According to Nielsen, it frequently ranks among the highest-rated weekly programs in the country.
Bilton's letter said Pelley "hijacked" Monday's meeting.
«"Yesterday's show of hostility, staged in front of staff instead of a civilized, private conversation, demonstrated your lack of interest in the future success of the program or my new position with an open mind to collaboration and progress," Bilton wrote. "I'm here to create world-class news programming, not to make headlines for newsroom drama. I look forward to working alongside those who share this goal.".
In an interview with The Times, Pelley said the letter "shows a complete lack of understanding of what we work for and what we live for at 60 Minutes.".
On Tuesday, he also told The Times that the "incompetence and unprofessionalism of the new management has caused enormous damage" to the broadcaster. "The collapse of values at the highest level has become unacceptable.".
He claimed management pressured him to introduce bias into his reporting last season, although he did not provide details.
The program is now down to four correspondents: Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega were fired last week, and Anderson Cooper left the show in May at the end of the season.
Weiss was hired last year by David Ellison, the owner of CBS and son of tech magnate Larry Ellison. She was tasked with updating the news program for the digital age. Weiss is a publicist with limited television experience. Bilton is a technology journalist with no television experience.
On Tuesday, CBS management met with Pelley to discuss the situation and find solutions, but it escalated into a conflict, sources familiar with the matter told The Times. In an interview with The Times, Pelley stated that Weiss refused to answer his questions about the reasons for the firing of Simon, Alfonsi, and Vega.
Pelley said Weiss's behavior was "cold and callous and unbecoming of CBS News.".
On Wednesday morning, Weiss told employees that "despite our efforts to contact Scott Pelley and find a way to resume our collaboration, unfortunately, we were unable to do so and therefore had to part ways.".
But Pelley said that wasn't true. "No one at Tuesday's meeting suggested that either side could take steps that would lead to a resolution of the conflict," he said.