Scott Pelley, a longtime CBS News staffer and correspondent for the news program "60 Minutes," was fired from the network following a conflict Monday morning with Nick Bilton, the new executive producer of "60 Minutes." During a regular all-hands meeting of "60 Minutes" staff on Monday, Pelley began questioning Bilton, who had just been appointed the program's new executive producer. His appointment followed the firing of several staff members the previous Thursday. According to a report published by Guardian US correspondent Jeremy Barr after the meeting, Pelley directly asked Bilton to explain the firings and expressed disappointment with the way things had been run at the program since Bari Weiss took over as CBS News's new CEO.
«"She's ruining '60 Minutes,'" Pelley said, according to sources familiar with the situation. "She doesn't like this place. She was brought in to destroy it, and that's exactly what she's doing." Forelle accused Pelley of rudeness, to which Pelley responded that the network had been rude to Tanya Simon, the show's executive producer, who was fired Thursday.
Oliver Darcy of the Status newsletter obtained access to an audio recording of the meeting, which captured a tense and often angry series of exchanges between Pelley and Bilton: Bilton tried to speed up the meeting, but Pelley insisted, challenging the new executive producer's references in the interview to "60 Minutes" creator Don Hewitt's vision for the program when he outlined his plans.
«"I have one more question," said the seasoned journalist. "Have you ever worked with Don Hewitt, spreading the word about his views and what inspired him? I worked for Don Hewitt from 1999 to 2004, and Lesley Stahl probably worked with him for about 30 years. I'm just curious, where did you get such deep insight?"»
Bilton replied that he was simply quoting Hewitt's own words from previous interviews and asked Pelley if he had any other questions. Pelley said yes.
«"I have a lot of questions," Pelley replied. "What happened to Sharyn Alfonsi?"»
As Bilton began to say he would "defer decision," Pelly interrupted: "This is not a crowd to be avoided.".
Bilton insisted he was not evading pursuit.
«"Nobody told you about this?" Pelley continued, questioning him about the firing. "They're taking one of your reporters away, and nobody told you what happened to Sharyn?"»
Bilton admitted that he "talked to people.".
«"And what came out of those conversations?" Pelley asked. "Aren't those private conversations?"»
Bilton reiterated that he "didn't fire" Alfonsi or Vega. Pelley noted that Bilton had, however, discussed the matter with others. Charles Forelle, Weiss's top deputy and the editor-in-chief of CBS News, intervened, telling Pelley he was being "rude.".
«"It's really unproductive," Forelle said. "It's not an interview.".
«"It works for me," Pelley replied.
Pelley reportedly met with Weiss and Bilton on Tuesday, though it's unclear whether he met with them together or separately. However, sources I spoke with told me that Weiss told Pelley he needed to write a letter of apology for his comments on Monday and warned him that he was creating a "hostile work environment." Then, on Tuesday evening, Pelley received news of his firing via email from Bilton, which several "60 Minutes" producers shared with me: Dear Mr. Pelley! I meant what I wrote in my letter last week to the 60 Minutes team: Joining 60 Minutes has been the honor of my career, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the people who have contributed to building the most important brand of television journalism this country has ever seen. I began this job with enthusiasm, eager to collaborate and benefit from the wisdom and experience of 60 Minutes veterans, including you. For that reason, one of my first actions in my new position was to call you to talk and invite you to dinner. I am deeply disappointed that you rejected this offer and chose an ambush instead. Yesterday, you disrupted my first staff meeting to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with astonishing rudeness and contempt. I welcome diversity and respectful discussions on the team, but this was anything but. Yesterday's demonstrative display of hostility—played out in front of staff, not in a civilized, private conversation—showed that you have no interest in contributing to the show's future success, or in approaching my new position with an open mind to collaboration and progress. I'm here to create top-notch news programming, not to make headlines for newsroom drama. I strive to work alongside others who share this goal. Despite yesterday's inappropriate behavior, I had hoped that by meeting with you today we could find a way forward. You've made it clear that you're not interested in such a path. Your antipathy toward the show's future is clear. And I have heard you. Therefore, I am writing on behalf of CBS News Inc. ("CBS") to inform you of the termination of your employment with CBS for cause, effective immediately. Attached is your official termination letter. Sincerely, Nick Bilton, executive producer of the program "60 Minutes". For more information on this story and other media industry news, please visit my website at toomuchtv.beehiive.com.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com.