Former “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley appears to be losing his job for the better, thanking fans for their support on Instagram on Saturday after the show’s new executive producer Nick Bilton was fired following an explosive confrontation.
“To everyone who has been so kind to me, you are the wind in my sails. Thank you so much,” Perry wrote, along with a photo of her gleefully at the helm of a yacht.
Mr. Perry, a respected veteran of “60 Minutes,” was fired from the news magazine after lashing out at Mr. Bilton at a May 25 staff meeting. Mr. Perry reportedly told the former NYT technology columnist that he was “poorly qualified” to take the helm of “60 Minutes.” Mr. Bilton was replaced as leader by CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, who accused Mr. Perry of “murdering” the program during the same meeting.
Shortly after reports of the altercation became public, Bilton released a letter stating that Perry and CBS leadership were unable to find common ground and that Perry was fired from 60 Minutes.
“Your antipathy toward the future of the program has been made very clear,” Bilton wrote. “I have heard your story. Therefore, I am writing on behalf of CBS News to inform you that your employment with CBS is terminated effective immediately.”
Hours later, Mr. Perry fired back with a letter of his own. “For my part, I have been instructed by new management to inject falsehoods and bias into politically sensitive stories. I have been told to include unverified claims. So far, in each case, I have been able to ignore or refuse these instructions. Recently, I have been invited to have politicians choose correspondents for broadcast interviews. Letting politicians control 60 Minutes interviews is not the way to go.”
Bilton was put in charge of running the show after Weiss made bombshell statements about firing longtime executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi. “60 Minutes” has come under intense scrutiny since Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison appointed Weiss to lead CBS News. Some have accused Mr. Weiss of trying to inject political bias into one of the most respected brands in broadcast news.
