Things are tense at CBS News headquarters.
Veteran correspondent Scott Pelley said during a June 1 staff meeting that Bari Weiss—CBS News' newly appointed editor in chief—is "murdering 60 Minutes," according to E! Online. The comments were captured on a recording obtained by the New York Times.
Executive producer Nick Bilton tried to mediate, insisting that Weiss "loves this institution" and "loves 60 Minutes." But Pelley disagreed. "She does not love this place," the 68-year-old said. "She was brought in to kill it, and she's been doing exactly that."
Weiss, who was not present at the meeting, was hired last October by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison to "invigorate" the network's news operation. Sources say she and Bilton have been trying to reconcile with Pelley since May 28, attempting to convince him he remains essential to the show.
Weiss recently sent a memo to staff saying their job is "to preserve that legacy and vital mission by building a show that thrives in the 21st century." Pelley's definition of "thriving" appears to differ from hers.
In April 2025, during a tribute to departing executive producer Bill Owens, who spent 37 years at CBS, Pelley said on air that "Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways" and that Owens "lost the independence that honest journalism requires."
The tension intensified when Ellison appointed Weiss—the 42-year-old founder of the conservative media company The Free Press, which Paramount acquired for $150 million—as CBS News' first-ever editor in chief.
