Key facts
- Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim will remain at '60 Minutes'.
- The correspondents stated their decision is to prevent the show from 'dying'.
- Four correspondents have departed '60 Minutes' recently.
- Scott Pelley was reportedly fired after a dispute with new executive producer Nick Bilton.
- Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega also recently departed the program.
- The remaining correspondents expressed disappointment over how journalists were treated.
Veteran '60 Minutes' correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim have announced they will remain with the news program. The trio stated their decision was driven by a desire to prevent the show from 'dying,' following a tumultuous period marked by the departures and firings of other correspondents. They expressed deep disappointment over how principled journalists were treated, likening the newsroom management style to a 'dictatorship' and contrasting it with the show's historical ethos of collaboration and advocacy for journalistic integrity. The departures include Scott Pelley, who was reportedly fired after confronting new executive producer Nick Bilton, and Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, whose contracts were not renewed or were terminated. These changes occur as CBS News' top editor, Bari Weiss, works to remake the organization, with critics suggesting a move towards making the network more politically palatable. Weiss has denied these claims, emphasizing her interest in a newsroom built on trust and mutual respect. Stahl, Whitaker, and Wertheim acknowledged hearing 'the right things' from Bilton regarding journalistic independence but stressed the need to see these commitments enacted in practice.