Clock Strikes Midnight for Pelley
Around 9 p.m. Tuesday, Scott Pelley was informed via email that he had been fired from the network he had called home for more than three decades. The dismissal, certain to send shockwaves through the David Ellison-owned network, came after a tumultuous 24 hours inside CBS News, set in motion by Pelley torching Editor-In-Chief Bari Weiss and her handpicked new executive producer of “60 Minutes,” Nick Bilton.
Pelley had spent much of the day at the headquarters of the storied newsmagazine, on the West Side of Manhattan. The correspondent had been scheduled to be on vacation, but I’m told he held back after igniting the five-alarm fire at CBS News on Monday. While he had previously turned down opportunities to speak with Weiss and Bilton privately about the future of the show, Pelley finally agreed to meet with CBS News brass on Tuesday.
Throughout the day, both sides strategized about what to do. In the morning, Weiss summoned Bilton—who was meeting one-on-one with staffers at the show—for a meeting about the matter, I’m told. During the meeting, management weighed whether to fire Pelley. Meanwhile, Pelley huddled with longtime colleague and fellow “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker to…