Lesley Stahl says ’60 Minutes’ bloodbath was ‘by – Business News
Veteran “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl says the current upheaval at CBS News is “by far the worst experience” she has witnessed in a journalism profession spanning over 5 a long time.
Stahl instructed Puck News that she stays livid over the current purge that claimed govt producer Tanya Simon, senior govt producer Draggan Mihailovich, correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, veteran producer Guy Campanile and digital chief Matthew Polevoy, along with the next firing of longtime correspondent Scott Pelley.
“It’s just been obviously the hardest chapter of my career,” Stahl mentioned.
Veteran “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl referred to as the current turmoil at CBS News “the hardest chapter of my career” and “by far the worst experience” she has witnessed in journalism. 60 Minutes/YouTube
“This was by far the worst experience I’ve been involved in, or even witnessed.”
The feedback got here days after she and the 2 remaining correspondents on final season’s roster — Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim — collectively introduced that they might return for the show’s subsequent season.
Stahl, 84, mentioned she nonetheless doesn’t perceive why a number of of her longtime colleagues have been fired.
“They fired everybody who was around Tanya,” she mentioned. “We don’t know why.”
“He doesn’t know why. He has no idea why he was fired. None,” she added of Campanile. “And I have no idea why he was fired.”
Stahl seconded Pelley’s current account of his June 2 assembly with management hours earlier than he was axed, saying he demanded to know why key crew members had been fired days earlier.
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss took the helm final fall. CBS News through AP
“That’s what he was agitated about,” Stahl mentioned. “Tell us why they have been fired. That was his query. He by no means bought an reply.
“They felt he was insubordinate for asking that question.”
Pelley’s abrupt dismissal adopted a June 1 confrontation wherein he blasted new govt producer Nick Bilton at a workers assembly — which Stahl herself missed whereas on project in Spain, The Post beforehand reported.
A CBS spokesperson instructed Puck News that the company was legally barred from revealing why workers are fired, citing confidentiality issues.
Stahl (from left) with former “60 Minutes” colleagues Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega and Tanya Simon — all of whom grew to become central figures within the current upheaval at CBS News. CBS through Getty Images
Stahl recapped Simon’s dismissal, too, claiming the longtime govt producer went into a confab anticipating to debate the upcoming season of “60 Minutes.”
“Instead, she was fired in the three-minute meeting,” Stahl mentioned.
The journo mentioned Simon was instructed during her May 28 termination assembly that she and Mihailovich needed to filter their places of work by 5 p.m. that day.
CBS disputed that characterization, telling Puck that whereas fired workers have been initially knowledgeable that their company systems and badge entry can be disabled at 5 p.m., a human sources consultant later instructed them there was “no rush” and that they in the end had till 8 p.m. to assemble their belongings and depart.
Scott Pelley was fired after a confrontation with CBS News management over the current purge at “60 Minutes.” 60 Minutes / YouTube
Stahl mentioned she wrestled with whether or not to remain however in the end determined she couldn’t abandon this system or the people who work there.
“We were going to do it together,” Stahl mentioned of herself, Whitaker and Wertheim. “It was going to be the three of us, no matter what.
“That was difficult.”
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Even after deciding to stay, Stahl mentioned, she urged Bilton over a current dinner to not overhaul the show.
“I was making a plea not to change anything on the Sunday night broadcast,” she mentioned.
“The Sunday night time broadcast, after 60 years, and after growing our viewers this previous season, for my part, shouldn’t be tampered with.
“It’s so not broke, so why, quote, fix it?”
The Post has sought remark from CBS News.
