Veteran correspondent Scott Pelley is speaking out after being fired by 60 Minutes. He was one of several let go from the popular program by CBS News.
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Pelley accused the network of murdering the show. He spoke with the New York Times about the brutal firings. Previously, Pelley worked for CBS for nearly 40 years. However, he said that his relationship with the network changed after Bari Weiss took over.
"It's like your spouse being murdered," he said. "No one saw the Black Thursday massacre coming. The night before, Tanya and I were at the Emmy Awards, and we won two Emmys. Within hours, all of those people have been wiped out, and one-third of our correspondents have been fired."
"My colleagues and I have worked together 10, 20, 30 years. We travel together - we dine together. We go into literal combat together," Pelley continued. "So, these bonds are pretty tight, and when somebody wipes out, murders, a large number of your family members, people are desperate for some explanation, and as you and I sit here today, there still has been none."
Scott Pelley Speaks Out
CBS fired several correspondents and producers. Pelley took issue with how the new executive producer Nick Bilton announced the firings.
He said, "I am not emotional about this because I have lost this job. I've done it for a long time. I've had the greatest experiences. But the people I leave behind, treated in this way? That breaks my heart, and it's going to take me a long time to get over it."
Ulitmately, the network let him go after he blasted Bilton and upper management about how things have been going.
"I'm almost 69 years old, and if I've learned one thing in life, it is not to reflexively react when you feel that way. I thought, I'm going to give it a day. I'm too emotionally wrought up. I am going to say the wrong thing," he said.
