They’re staying.
Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim said in a memo Friday that they would remain at “60 Minutes,” potentially calming the chaotic situation that has festered at the CBS News program since the ouster of top executives and three of the program’s correspondents, including executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, as well as Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, and, more recently, Scott Pelley.
“We have decided to stay on,” the trio said.
But their misgivings over what has happened at the venerable newsmagazine in the past week were made clear. “We have had a hard time deciding whether to stay at’ 60 Minutes.’ We’re still deeply upset by the firings of Tanya and Draggan, strong leaders who everyone respected. As far as we can tell – because no explanation has ever been offered, they were expelled because they fought for our ’60 Minutes’ values and stood up to protect our independence and integrity,” the three journalists said. “Newsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships. Collaboration and argument are the way we have always worked at ’60.’ Don Hewitt actually encouraged loud passionate advocacy for our pieces.”
The “60 Minutes” staff has been roiled by decisions made by CBS News senior executives under the aegis of Bari Weiss, the division’s editor in chief. While many understand her interest in expanding the show’s purview beyond its traditional Sunday-night perch, they do not see the strategy in dismissing top journalists, including Pelley, who has enjoyed a storied career at CBS News.
The trio also criticized the decision to oust their fellow correspondents. “These principled, fair and honest journalists were treated so shabbily, with such indecency. Tanya deserves to be celebrated, not cruelly cast out. Draggan too. It’s been heartbreaking.”
The three correspondents may see themselves as guardians of the “60 Minutes” journalistic tradition, says one CBS News staffer. And there may also be economic issues at play. “There is a feeling of responsibility that people remaining at the show have, regardless of their personal situations, to get things on track, so that everybody can keep doing work that matters, and, let’s be adults, keep their jobs,” this person says.
Keeping the trio attached to the program was seen as crucial for Weiss and Nick Bilton, the former technology journalist and documentarian who was installed last week as the show’s new executive producer. Without them, audiences in the fall would not see any of the program’s familiar faces, and there would be no on-air staff in place to front stories that need to be produced and ready in time for the fall.
CBS News expects to supplement Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim with contributions from other CBS News anchors, including Norah O’Donnell. Other staffers have also made contributions to the show, with Washington correspondent Major Garrett doing so in recent weeks.
Having Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim return may also ease the feelings of CBS News staff about contributing to the program, the CBS News staffer says. “You don’t want to be seen as walking over the graves, really, of these people who built the show into what it is,” this person says.
The three “60” journalist say they felt staying with the show would, simply put, keep it alive. “We don’t want to see 60 Minutes die.,” they say. “We have been grieving because this whole mess has wounded and damaged the broadcast. We want to stay and fight, try to repair and preserve our reputation by c continuing the Mike Wallace tradition of hold their feet to the fire as well as Morley’s brand of quirky off-kilter reports like his on why people in Finland like to tango!”
They added: “If we can continue doing the work that made this show what it is — committing acts of independent, fearless journalism and storytelling — we’re here for it. If not, we leave.”
More to come…
