{"id":1300,"date":"2026-06-05T16:37:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1300"},"modified":"2026-06-05T16:37:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:37:48","slug":"veteran-60-minutes-anchors-say-theyre-staying-for-now-even-as-they-rip-bari-weiss-dictatorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1300","title":{"rendered":"Veteran ’60 Minutes’ anchors say they’re staying ‘for now’ — even as they rip Bari Weiss ‘dictatorship’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Veteran \u201c60 Minutes\u201d correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim said they will remain with the storied newsmagazine \u201cfor now\u201d \u2014 even as they blasted CBS News leadership under Bari Weiss and warned that \u201cnewsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The trio confirmed they had decided to stay at the program following weeks of turmoil that culminated in the firing of Scott Pelley and the departures of correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, executive producer Tanya Simon, senior executive producer Draggan Mihailovich and several top producers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to see \u201960 Minutes\u2019 die,\u201d the trio wrote in a memo obtained by The Post.<\/p>\n

The decision comes after intense speculation that Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim could follow Pelley out the door following the recent bloodbath at the iconic newsmagazine.<\/p>\n

Their statement, however, made clear that staying should not be interpreted as support for CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss or the network\u2019s recent actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feared that our returning might be construed as an endorsement of the existing power structure,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is simply, categorically not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

The trio said they were \u201cdeeply upset\u201d by the departures of Simon and Mihailovich and suggested the pair had been pushed out for defending the show\u2019s core values.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as we can tell \u2014 because no explanation has ever been offered \u2014 they were expelled because they fought for our 60 Minutes values and stood up to protect our independence and integrity,\u201d the correspondents wrote.<\/p>\n

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The correspondents also condemned the way their former colleagues were treated, saying they were \u201csorry\u201d that \u201cprincipled, fair and honest journalists were treated so shabbily, with such indecency,\u201d and arguing that Simon and Mihailovich deserved to be \u201ccelebrated, not cruelly cast off.\u201d<\/p>\n

The journalists also defended Alfonsi, Vega and Pelley, calling them \u201cat the top of the world of TV journalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNewsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n

Still, the correspondents struck a more conciliatory tone toward newly installed executive producer Nick Bilton, saying they were \u201cworking to build trust\u201d with him and were encouraged by his recent pledge that \u201c60 Minutes\u201d would remain editorially independent.<\/p>\n

Despite their anger over the recent firings, the correspondents signaled a willingness to give Bilton a chance.<\/p>\n

They said they were \u201cworking to build trust with Nick\u201d and were encouraged by the promotion of veteran producer Maria Gavrilovic, adding that they had heard \u201call the right things\u201d in Bilton\u2019s recent memo pledging editorial independence.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The trio stressed that their support was conditional, writing that management must now put those promises into practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can continue doing the work that made this show what it is \u2014 committing acts of independent, fearless journalism and storytelling \u2014 we\u2019re here for it,\u201d they wrote. \u201cIf not, we leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Mamdani-backed House hopeful Darializa Avila Chevalier echoed Putin by blaming \u2018bullying\u2019 US for Russian invasion of Ukraine<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Veteran \u201c60 Minutes\u201d correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim said they will remain with the storied newsmagazine “for now” — even as they blasted CBS News leadership under Bari Weiss and warned that \u201cnewsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media"],"yoast_head":"\nVeteran '60 Minutes' anchors say they're staying 'for now' - even as they rip Bari Weiss 'dictatorship' - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1300\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Veteran '60 Minutes' anchors say they're staying 'for now' - 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