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According to media reports, the program's correspondent «60 Minutes» Scott Pelley accused CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of trying to "kill" the long-running Sunday news program.
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Pelley reportedly made the comments during a heated meeting with new executive producer Nick Bilton.
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His comments come amid months of personnel changes at CBS News following Weiss's appointment and Paramount's merger with Skydance Media.
As reported, the program's correspondent «60 Minutes» Scott Pelley accused CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of trying to "kill" the long-running Sunday news program.
According to reports The New York Times и The Guardian , Pelley, former presenter CBS Evening News programs, made these comments during a heated meeting with the program's new executive producer. «60 Minutes» By Nick Bilton.
Media reported that Bilton said Weiss adores «60 Minutes» , to which Pelly replied, "She kills «60 minutes »"She doesn't like this place, she was invited to destroy it, and that's exactly what she's doing.".
A source close to CBS News executives told PEOPLE that "Bari and Nick tried to reach Scott for a private conversation last week. Despite those attempts, they never spoke.".
«"She has no qualifications for this job; you have little qualifications for this job. The changes she made to Evening News, "These were disastrous, so why should we expect things to get better?" Pelley continued, as reported by Times.
Bilton reportedly replied, "Well, I'll show you. That's all I can say. That's my plan for the next two weeks. I'll meet everyone. I'm very happy to meet everyone, including you.".
Bari Weiss speaks on stage during a book club meeting with Peggy Noonan on November 19, 2024. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty
The newspaper Times reported that the meeting was supposed to be an official introduction of the program's employees «60 Minutes» with Bilton, a former investigative technology journalist and filmmaker, who was named executive producer last week as part of a major shakeup at the long-running news program.
In a letter sent last week to the program's staff and obtained by PEOPLE, Weiss wrote that Bilton is best known for his documentaries such as «The Biggest Heist Ever (Netflix), Unknown: Killer Robots» и «Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, and Scandal» , as well as bestsellers «"Hatching Twitter" and "American Kingpin" is going to "begin meeting with employees across the organization to listen, learn, discuss what's working, identify opportunities for growth, and begin laying the groundwork for Season 59 and beyond.".
«"The reality facing journalism in 2026 is challenging. Information is fragmented. Algorithms fuel outrage. AI-generated misinformation is rampant. Audiences are overwhelmed by information. And they have lost trust in traditional media. This reality makes the mission of..."« 60 minutes"» »More important than ever,« Weiss continued. »…We want our stories to be sensational, to expose wrongdoing, to expand public understanding, and to hold every institution and every center of power accountable.”.
«"We want journalism that surprises, shapes public opinion, and is impossible to ignore," she added. "This is not just our goal for the program „60 minutes “That’s our goal for all of CBS News.».
On May 28, PEOPLE reported that Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi had split. program "60 minutes" »" , and Vega, 49, said in an Instagram post that she had been "fired" by the network, adding that her contract doesn't expire until March 2027 and claiming that "my production teams and I have been confronted in recent months with attempts to inject political bias into our stories.".
As the newspaper reported Times , During a tense meeting, Pelley called the departure of two journalists from the program "Black Thursday," while Bilton tried to reassure staff that the program would not undergo drastic changes.
«"To me, journalism is just journalism," Bilton said, according to the recording. "That's why I'm here. That's why we're all here.".
«"The rumors people are spreading about me turning the show into 60 one-minute episodes, that it'll be like TikTok—that won't change. The show will remain as it is for now," he added.
Scott Pelley. Photo: Michelle Crowe/CBS News via Getty.
CBS also previously parted ways with former executive producer Tanya Simon, who was replaced by Bilton.
«"Nick is one of the most entrepreneurial journalists of our time and the perfect leader for one of the most entrepreneurial news brands of all time," Weiss said in announcing Bilton's appointment.
«"Nick's involvement reflects the program's purposeful commitment."„ 60 minutes“ "to expand beyond an hour-long Sunday night newscast to become a comprehensive news product that reaches audiences where they consume it," added CBS News President Tom Cibrowski.
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Pelley has previously spoken out about the recent sweeping changes at CBS News made by its corporate owner, Paramount Global.
Following the sudden resignation of the program's long-time executive producer «60 Minutes» In April 2025, Pelley announced on air that "the show's parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete the merger. The Trump administration needs to approve it.".
«"Paramount began exerting new control over our content. None of our stories were blocked, but Bill felt he had lost the independence necessary for honest journalism. No one here is happy about this, but Bill's resignation proved one thing: he was the right person to lead the program from the start." «60 Minutes» , "Pelly said during the broadcast, as reported by Mediaite.
In 2025, David Ellison—the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and a major donor to Trump and Republicans—successfully merged his company Skydance with CBS's parent company, Paramount.
Paramount Chairman and CEO David Ellison said at the closing of the merger: "Today marks an exciting and pivotal moment as we prepare to carry Paramount's legacy as a Hollywood institution into the future of entertainment.".
«With our deep understanding of the industry and strategic approach to growth, we will continue to pursue creative excellence, drive cutting-edge innovation, and continue to deliver entertainment, news, and sports content that resonates with audiences around the world,» he continued. «Together, we have the opportunity not only to shape the future of Paramount but also to play a significant role in advancing our industry—and we look forward to getting started.».
In April of this year, shareholders of CNN's parent company, Warner Bros., approved a proposed $111 million merger that would also transfer CNN to Ellison's Paramount Skydance. Weiss was appointed in October 2024 after Paramount Skydance acquired her news and analysis website. The Free Press .
60 Minutes program« airs Sundays at 7:00 PM ET/PT on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount+.
Read the original article on People.