Scott Pelley accused CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of lying to staff on Wednesday, hours after she told the network’s morning editorial meeting that leadership had tried to “find a way back” with the fired 60 Minutes correspondent before cutting ties.
Weiss addressed CBS employees on a 9 a.m. conference call. “Despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back, unfortunately, we weren’t able to do so, and so we had to part ways,” she said. She framed the termination as a matter of broken trust and called the outcome “the path that he chose.”
Read: The Two Words That Will Drive CBS News Into Court After Pelley Firing
Pelley responded the same morning with a written statement. “Bari Weiss knows what she said is not true,” he said. “In the meeting on Tuesday, in which I was effectively fired, there was no effort of any kind to ‘find a way back.’ At no point did anyone in the Tuesday meeting suggest that there could be steps taken by either side that would lead to a resolution. To say so now is disingenuous. And they know it.”
“Weiss and Tom Cibrowski were openly hostile from the start,” Pelley wrote. Cibrowski is the president and executive editor of CBS News. “‘Firing’ was raised by Cibrowski in the first 15 seconds. No CBS executive, at any time, suggested ‘a way back.'”
Pelley then described asking Weiss a series of questions about the firings of the 60 Minutes senior staff the week before — correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, and executive producer Tanya Simon.
“Why did she fire 60 Minutes Executive Producer Tanya Simon?”
“I’m not answering that question.”
“Why fire correspondent Cecilia Vega?”
“I’m not answering that question.”
“Why fire correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi?”
“I’m not answering that question.”
Cibrowski then ended the meeting unilaterally. “Suddenly, and to my surprise, Cibrowski declared, ‘This conversation is over!'” Pelley wrote. “I said, ‘Why? I’m happy to answer your questions.’ ‘This conversation is over!’ Cibrowski repeated, raising his voice and standing to show me the door.” Pelley said he was stonewalled for approximately 10 minutes.
“I am pained that the staff of CBS News was misled in the Wednesday morning conference call,” Pelley wrote. “These executives cannot gain the trust of the staff with lies. This is antithetical to everything we stand for and reveals contempt for what journalists do.”
A source told NBC News that Weiss had not addressed 60 Minutes staff before Wednesday’s all-hands call. “Bari has never come and addressed the 60 Minutes staff,” the source said.
Wednesday’s call marked the first time Weiss had addressed the firings directly with staff. She thanked Pelley for his contributions but did not address his allegations.
Pelley has been in discussions with attorney Bryan Freedman, who has secured large settlements from television networks in previous high-profile talent exits. His next legal move will determine how much more of that meeting becomes public.
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