60 Minutes director convenes with crew following disagreement with Scott Pelley
On Tuesday, “60 Minutes” executive producer Nick Bilton scheduled one‑on‑one meetings with staff after a Monday meeting that was dominated by correspondent Scott Pelley’s criticism of Bilton and CBS News Editor‑in‑Chief Bari Weiss. Pelley accused Weiss of undermining the program, labeling her as “murdering” the show and claiming she had been brought in to sabotage it. He also raised concerns about recent firings, including former executive producer Tanya Simon, correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, Draggan Mihailovich, and Matthew Polevoy.
Alfonsi and Vega had previously clashed with Weiss over the cancellation of a segment about the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan men to El Salvador. Weiss said the story was not ready for broadcast, while Alfonsi argued it was pulled for political reasons. The segment, titled “Inside CECOT,” aired in January with additional statements that were not in the original draft.
Bilton, who was hired last week to oversee “60 Minutes,” has urged staff that the program’s journalism would remain consistent under his leadership. He promised ongoing meetings over the next two weeks to address concerns. CBS News has not released further comments on the internal discussions or the staffing changes.