Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim announced they will remain at 60 Minutes following the firing of Scott Pelley by Bari Weiss. The three correspondents communicated their decision via email to colleagues on Friday. Multiple claims regarding the circumstances of Pelley's removal remain unverified.
“’60 Minutes’ Stars Will Stay After Pelley’s Firing Because They Don’t Want Show to ‘Die’”
Read at New York Times →No center sources covered this
“Katie Couric admits Bari Weiss ‘had no choice’ but to fire Scott Pelley after CBS clash”
Read at Fox News →The correspondents' decision to stay reflects an effort to protect investigative journalism from management shifts under Bari Weiss.
“Resistance to potential erosion of accountability reporting”
Retention of the three anchors shows acceptance of accountability after reported internal criticism of new leadership.
“Pushback against prior editorial direction and need for oversight corrections”
The anchors and employer each exercised voluntary choice within a private employment setting.
“Individual agency and property rights over collective institutional narratives”
All three perspectives accept the anchors' stated rationale without examining compensation incentives or pre-existing commercial trends.
“Over-reliance on a single email and unverified meeting account while ignoring contract and market constraints”
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