Some of Scott Pelley’s Comments Explain the Type of Man He Is and Explain How Journalism Was Not Attacked |
At CBS News, there has been enough tension, gasping, pearl-clutching, and melodrama to fill a binge-worthy series on Netflix with the promise of a two-season renewal – and it is only Wednesday. Newly minted executive producer Nick Bilton has endured staff revolts and a contentious meeting, leading to high-profile dismissals, and he has not yet been on the job for a week.
And this can all be attributed to the preening diva of a veteran newsman, Scott Pelley.
That this all flows from the contentious environment at CBS ever since the arrival of Bari Weiss is obvious, and the past couple of weeks have seen these tensions ramped up. Anderson Cooper recently announced he was stepping down from “60 Minutes”, and then the embattled correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi saw her contract with the show expire without renewal. She and another correspondent were then let go from the network, as was the show’s executive producer, Tanya Simon.
None of which sat well with Mr. Pelley. He had already been a grousing figure for months over the management changes at CBS News. Scott was posturing with condemnation over the network settling a lawsuit with President Trump, and used a college commencement address as his therapy session. So with his contempt already rooted, the past weeks of upheaval sent the man over the top. Pelley was a man on fire; soon, his career was also engulfed.
Trouble was seen from the moment that Bilton came in as the new Executive Producer on “60 Minutes” on May 28. He and Weiss asked for a sit-down session with Pelley right away, and they were rebuffed. Bilton says he tried a couple more times to meet over the weekend and was met with indifference. Then there was the Monday Meltdown; Bilton held an all-staff meeting with the show, and Pelley hijacked the affair, based on the reports that came out. The fact that details and recordings of that meeting leaked to the public within hours says everything.
Worth noting amid all the coverage of Scott Pelley's scathing criticism today: According to a person with knowledge of the matter, Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton sought out Pelley for a private meeting last week, but the longtime correspondent did not take them up on the offer to…— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 2, 2026
Worth noting amid all the coverage of Scott Pelley's scathing criticism today: According to a person with........