Lesley Stahl announced Friday that she will stay at 60 Minutes after weeks of turmoil at the CBS News program, joining fellow correspondents Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim in pledging to remain with the show despite the firing of multiple senior journalists.
The three correspondents issued a joint statement saying they had “a hard time deciding whether to stay” but decided their presence was necessary to preserve the program. “We don’t want to see 60 Minutes die,” they wrote. “We want to stay and fight.”
The announcement came after CBS News, under new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, fired correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega last week, along with executive producer Tanya Simon and other senior producers. On Tuesday, the network terminated veteran correspondent Scott Pelley, citing his conduct in a meeting with new executive producer Nick Bilton.
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In their statement, the three journalists expressed concern about how their colleagues were treated. “We’re still deeply upset by the firings of Tanya and Draggan, strong leaders who everyone respected,” they said, referring to executive editor Draggan Mihailovich. “As far as we can tell—because no explanation has ever been offered—they were expelled because they fought for our 60 Minutes values and stood up to protect our independence and integrity.”
Stahl, 84, and Whitaker, 74, had been considered uncertain about their futures at the program following the staff upheaval. Stahl has worked at CBS News since 1971 and has been a 60 Minutes correspondent since 1991, making her one of the most recognizable journalists in American television. Whitaker joined CBS News in 1984 and became a 60 Minutes correspondent in 2014.
The correspondents also criticized the broader management approach at the network. “Newsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships,” they wrote. “Collaboration and argument are the way we have always worked at 60.”
Despite their decision to stay, the three journalists made clear this was not an endorsement of current leadership. “We feared that our returning might be construed as an endorsement of the existing power structure. That is simply, categorically not the case,” they stated, adding that they would continue “the Mike Wallace tradition of hold[ing] their feet to the fire.”
Sources
- The Guardian — Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, Jon Wertheim announcement and joint statement on staying at 60 Minutes
- Variety — Details of the three correspondents’ decision and their joint statement; context on recent firings and leadership changes
- NPR — Background on the firings and remaining 60 Minutes correspondents
