Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim announced Friday they will remain at “60 Minutes,” ending speculation that the CBS News program’s crisis would strip it of its biggest on-air stars.
In a joint email to staff, the three veteran correspondents said they plan to “stay and fight” to “repair and preserve” the reputation of the country’s top-rated news magazine.
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| Stahl, Whitaker, Wertheim |
“Here’s why we are staying: We don’t want to see ‘60 Minutes’ die,” they wrote.The correspondents expressed deep frustration with recent moves by Bari Weiss, CBS News editor in chief, including the firing of longtime executive producer Tanya Simon and several veteran producers and correspondents, which they called “heartbreaking.”
They warned that they would leave if the program loses its editorial independence. Weiss’s changes, which included appointing tech journalist and filmmaker Nick Bilton — who has no broadcast news experience — as the new leader of “60 Minutes,” have roiled the newsroom.
On Monday, longtime correspondent Scott Pelley sharply criticized Bilton and accused Weiss of “murdering” the show; he was fired the next day.
In recent days, Bilton worked to retain Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim. He met with Stahl over dinner to assure her he would maintain the program’s journalistic standards and emailed staff Thursday promising that “60 Minutes” would remain editorially independent from its parent company, controlled by tech executive David Ellison, who appointed Weiss.
CBS News said in a statement Friday: “We’re excited for Season 59 with Lesley, Bill and Jon as star correspondents, and Nick at the helm.”