Screenshot provided by CBS.
I adore «60 Minutes» . Honestly. As someone who loves storytelling, I've always been fascinated by this show—I consider it one of the greatest storytelling mediums ever created. I want it to survive and thrive into the future.
It is in this spirit that I implore the remaining staff of the program «60 Minutes» : shut up, stop crying and go to work.
You see, at this point it's not so much that the editor-in-chief of CBS News Bari Weiss «"Killing" the legendary news magazine, a recently fired correspondent claimed Scott Pelley . The point is whether those who are still working in the program are really «60 minutes, want to be involved in its collapse. Because if they really want to save «60 Minutes» , they need to do the exact opposite of what they did Scott Pelley .
Scott Pelley's speech to his colleagues on Monday led to nothing. It didn't change public opinion one iota. If three days ago you believed that Bari Weiss was trashing the program «60 Minutes» on behalf of corporate bosses trying to secure the president's support Donald Trump , you still think so. If not, Pelley has done absolutely nothing to convince you otherwise.
Pelley had a chance to fight for host position on the program "60 Minutes"« , but instead he decided to quit. This was somewhat ironic, given that he had boasted about his war reporting on the brink of retirement. "I saw combat in Afghanistan," Pelley said. The New York Times newspaper "I served in 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 the show.".
While it certainly takes courage to venture into these dangerous places, Pelley wasn't exactly "in the fight." He was watching it. And watching a fight, even from very close range, isn't the same as participating in it. When it was his turn to step onto the front lines—a front line far less dangerous than those in Ukraine and Afghanistan—Scott Pelley cringed.
And now he's no longer here to protect «60 Minutes» from the inside. He's given up. His race is over. Scott Pelley won't have any influence on the future. «60 Minutes» . Its future will be decided by those who still work there.
And to the fans «60 Minutes» What should be worrying is that it seems like those in the building are following his example. In the issue Status on Tuesday night—a publication that has become a favorite haunt for disgruntled CBS News employees in recent months— Oliver Darcy wrote that Pelley's dismissal "has devastated many in «60 minutes» . I was told there were tears in the program's offices after Pelley returned from a meeting with the channel's management and made it clear the end was near. "The staff are furious," a person familiar with the situation told Status.
There's nothing you can do. Just accept it.
Every day, millions of Americans go to jobs they dislike, to bosses they disagree with. No matter how incompetent they perceive the management, they grit their teeth, roll up their sleeves, and go to work. Now it's the employees' turn. «60 Minutes» do the same. The team that publishes America's leading news magazine must demonstrate good old-fashioned American resilience to survive.
It remains unclear whether Bari Weiss is genuinely seeking to simply modernize CBS News—as she has claimed—or whether she is secretly working for corporate bosses to undermine the network in an effort to get closer to Donald Trump. On the one hand, she has taken actions that are difficult to understand (such as firing a correspondent for the program «60 Minutes» Cecilia Vega ). On the other hand, her many critics - if they are honest with themselves - must admit that they have not entirely done her work justice.
But even if, say, Bari Weiss really does want to turn CBS into Fox News, the staff «60 Minutes» They can prevent this—simply by opposing it. Even if Weiss is the monster her most ardent critics call her, one day—be it in a year or in 10 years—she will be gone. And if they outlive her, the employees «60 Minutes» potentially be able to turn the page. But they won't be able to do so if history «60 Minutes» will be closed forever.
Here's what storytelling experts should know from the program «60 Minutes» Stories have a plot. They have ups and downs. That's what makes them gripping. That's what makes them worth telling.
History of the program «60 Minutes» spans over 58 incredible years. It's had many ups and a few downs. It's a story worth continuing.
The old guard obviously considers themselves the heroes of the plot.« 60 minutes"» . If this is true, then now is the time to prove it. Heroes don't run from obstacles, even—and especially—when those obstacles seem insurmountable. Heroes persistently overcome those obstacles. And when they succeed, the result is a stunning story.
The country's greatest storytellers now have a chance to write their own history. But they won't be able to do so if they decide to put down their pens.
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Joe DePaolo is the editor-in-chief of Mediaite.
The article "It's time for the remaining '60 Minutes' staff to stop crying, roll up their sleeves, and get to work" first appeared on the Mediaite website.