The mystery of whether the three remaining 60 Minutes correspondents – Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim – would remain at the CBS newsmagazine was solved Friday when they revealed in a joint memo displaying their aircraft carrier-sized egos that they would stay and attempt to work with CBS News editor-in-chief and new 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton.
However, their note and a leaked draft largely embraced the strategy from now-former colleague Scott Pelley of simultaneously smearing management while demanding their respect and all of their demands for “independence and integrity” be met (so they can continue shoveling their toxic hatred toward half the country).
Starting with the memo that was sent out, they wanted us to feel bad for them as pampered millionaires: “We have had a hard time deciding whether to stay at 60 Minutes. We’re still deeply upset by the firings of Tanya and Draggan, strong leaders who everyone respected. 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.”
“Newsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships. Collaboration and argument are the way we have always worked at 60,” they added, despite that being a pants-on-fire falsehood as the show operates on groupthink of elite liberalism.
They spoke directly about the firings of Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, and Cecilia Vega by fretting they “exemplified 60 Minutes’ ethos of tough questions and honest storytelling.”
After addressing other, behind-the-camera departures, they lambasted Bilton and Weiss: “We want to express how sorry we are that these principled, fair and honest journalists were treated so shabbily, with such indecency…It’s heartbreaking.”
No profession on planet Earth loves itself more than and demands we feel sympathy for them than elite media.
They’re acting as though they were just forced to spend years in the Hanoi Hilton or embark on the Bataan Death March.
Only then did they state “we have decided to stay on” because “we don’t want to see 60 Minutes die.”
They also made clear they’re staying even though they still loathe Bilton, Weiss, and their teams: “We feared that our returning might be construed as an endorsement of the existing power structure. That is simply, categorically not the case.”
The trio continued imploring us to feel for them because they’ve “been grieving” the state of 60 Minutes:
[T]his whole mess has wounded and damaged the broadcast. We want to stay and fight, try to repair and preserve our reputation by continuing the Mike Wallace tradition of hold their feet to the fire as well as Morley’s brand of quirky off-kilter reports like his on why people in Finland like to tango!
What a burden it must be to continue to make millions while holding a proverbial gun over your boss’s head.
Despite having done everything but utter his name (while never stating Weiss’s name), they come off like Disney villains or mob bosses: “It’s early days, but we are working to build trust with Nick, and we are heartened by Maria’s promotion. We heard all the right things in yesterday’s ‘independence’ memo…[W]e need to see these commitments to our process and procedures put into action.”
The conclusion was one last call to make those reading genuflect before this supposed sacrifice (click “expand”):
If we can continue doing the work that made this show what it is – committing acts of independent, fearless journalism and storytelling – we’re here for it. If not, we leave.
For now we’re staying - for our audience, the millions who watch us with a loyal but critical eye. We’re staying for our teams, and all the teams. We work for you guys. The thought of abandoning you became unbearable. And of course we’re staying because this is home.
Here’s to season 59!
Puck’s Dylan Byers had the draft, which went full Pelley as they reportedly referred to their bosses as “our overlords ‘across the street’” whose behavior has been “callous” and “chilling.” Byers noticed the portion referring to Nick by name and thanking him for a c ooling memo Thursday wasn’t included.
Byers flagged another portion, which said they have “want[ed] to protest the firings” of the two lead producers because “[a]s far as we can tell…they were expelled because they fought for our 60 Minutes values and stood up to protect our independence and integrity.”
He added they also mulled saying this: “It is chilling to think it’s now ‘Chop of her/his head’ for speaking up. This goes for Sharyn, Cecilia and Scott as well, all at the top of the world of TV journalism.”
Stahl spoke to The Wall Street Journal and bashed Weiss directly (click “expand”):
“We’ve been internally deeply distressed by the interference, and that’s why it was not an easy decision for us,” Stahl said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Stahl also said she has heard Weiss “complaining about us, and that’s been harmful.”
“We are at the moment trusting Nick and he has told us he’ll work to preserve our independence, and that he’s not taking orders from the corporation,” Stahl added. “If that is the way things go, we’ll stay. But if it’s not the way things go, we’re gonna leave.”
Bilton has been working to repair relationships with the frazzled “60 Minutes” team, meeting with producers to reassure them that the show would remain true to its journalistic principles.
One might say this is childish behavior, but one could also say it’s an insult to the youths.
