“CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil paid tribute to Scott Pelley after the former “60 Minutes” correspondent was fired Tuesday following an explosive conflict with the show’s new executive producer Nick Bilton.
“When I joined CBS, Scott Pelley was in this very chair, still in charge of more than a dozen 60 Minutes episodes a year,” Dokoupil said on Wednesday night’s broadcast. “Even under these circumstances, we still meet with all our new correspondents and share their views on our mission here,” Dokoupil said. “In[James]Madison’s words, he believed that freedom of the press was ‘the right that guaranteed everything else.’ And the stakes were always high in that if you were on CBS News, you were among the best in the world. He worked every day to meet that standard.”
In a video summarizing Perry’s career highlights, Dokoupil added: “He was, in some ways, a man from another era. That’s no mistake. He didn’t watch the competition, he said, because he knew who he was. He was a journalist who valued truth at all costs.”
Mr. Perry was removed from “60 Minutes” after he lambasted Mr. Bilton during a Monday staff meeting, telling the former NYT technology columnist that he was “poorly qualified” to cover the landmark news program. Mr. Bilton was replaced as leader by CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, who accused Mr. Perry of “murdering 60 Minutes” during the same meeting.
Bilton was announced as the new “60 Minutes” boss following bombshell statements from Weiss that led to the firing of longtime executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi. Mr. Dokoupil’s comments are notable considering that Mr. Weiss gave him the role of “Evening News.”
Dokoupil is not the only CBS newsman to comment on this unprecedented time for the network. “60 Minutes” legend Steve Kroft told PBS NewsHour that the show’s direction under Weiss was “disastrous.”
“This is obstruction of journalism,” Kraft said. “It makes no business sense at all. This is the most-watched news program on television and has been for over 50 years. Last year’s ratings were up about 9%. Why mess with that?”
