Who was fired before Scott Pelley? Inside the 60 minutes shake-up that rocked CBS news

A major shake-up has unfolded at CBS News, with longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley exiting the network following an escalating dispute with the program’s new leadership in a meeting. On Tuesday (June 2), Palley informed that he has been terminated from the news organisation, bringing an end to a career spanning nearly four decades at CBS.

His shocking exit comes after he clashed with the show’s new executive producer, Nick Bilton, in a fiery meeting that also included the show's staff.

The harsh decision to push Pelley out came after he questioned and criticised Bilton during a company-wide meeting on Monday morning. It has also been learned that Pelley’s remarks were leaked outside the office to other newsrooms, sparking a major internal crisis.

Why Was Scott Pelley Fired From 60 Minutes?

After an alleged fiery exchange, Bilton informed Pelley that his employment was “terminated for cause effective immediately.”

Saying that he has been fired “antipathy to the future” of 60 Minutes. “Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear. And I have heard you,” Bilton wrote.

“I therefore write on behalf of CBS News, Inc. to inform you that your employment with CBS is terminated for cause effective immediately.”

What has Palley said in his statement?

Palley, in his statement, accused CBS's new leadership of changing editorial decisions in a way that he believes is intended to gain favour with the Trump administration.

Later on Tuesday, Pelley released his statement about his firing and his show, 60 Minutes. “60 has been the number-one program in America for decades because our beloved audience finds integrity, quality, and humanity in our stories,” Pelley writes. “Now, the new owner of our network is casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.”

''The waste is heartbreaking. Last month, 60 Minutes lost its DNA when our entire senior leadership and two of our best on-air correspondents were cruelly fired without cause. Good people were silenced because they stood up for our audience. They stood for fairness against the forces of political bias; they stood for professionalism against chaos,'' he wrote in the letter, via THR.

Who else was fired?

Apart from lashing out at the new CBS system, he also revealed that two of the correspondents had been fired before him. It has been reported that Pelley questioned Bilton about last Thursday’s firing of top producers and two correspondents. In the same company-wide meeting, Bilton said he understands the program’s legacy, though he maintained that changes were needed.

"Last month, 60 Minutes lost its DNA when our entire senior leadership and two of our best on-air correspondents were cruelly fired without cause. Good people were silenced because they stood up for our audience. They stood for fairness against the forces of political bias; they stood for professionalism against chaos."

Palley, has been one of the network’s most recognisable faces for years, has been working with CBS for over four decades. Before this, he anchored the CBS Evening News.