Bari Weiss addressed the elephant in the room during CBS News‘ daily editorial meeting Wednesday morning.
Late Tuesday night, CBS fired Scott Pelley, the veteran 60 Minutes correspondent and former CBS Evening News anchor, after he lashed into Weiss and new 60 executive producer Nick Bilton in a meeting with show staff Monday.
Weiss used the call to explain the decision, as first reported by Jeremy Barr.
“I know I speak for myself, and I hope I speak for everyone here when I say that I’m only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect. We cannot do our work without it,” Weiss said. “That foundation was broken on Monday, and despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back, unfortunately we weren’t able to do so, and so we had to part ways.”
“We did not want that to happen, but that’s the path that he chose,” she continued. “That unfortunate outcome does not discount from the amazing contributions and work that Scott Pelley has done for CBS and for 60 Minutes over the course of his career.”
