CBS News fires ‘60 Minutes’ correspondent Scott Pelley after clash with new producer

“Incompetence and unprofessionalism in the new management have wreaked havoc,” Pelley said in a statement, referring in part to CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.

Pelley’s exit deepens the turmoil at “60 Minutes,” the leading newsmagazine on American television. In recent months, “60 Minutes” employees have clashed with CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss over the show’s editorial direction under its new corporate owner, Paramount Skydance, the media company run by technology scion David Ellison.

The tension reached a fever pitch Monday during a “60 Minutes” staff meeting designed to introduce employees to Bilton, a technology journalist tapped by Weiss to be executive producer of the program. Pelley laced into Bilton, according to an audio recording obtained by NBC News and a source who was in the room.