Three Remaining '60 Minutes' Anchors Commit to Continuing CBS News Program

60 Minutes Correspondents Decide to Stay Amid Turmoil at CBS News

New York (AP) — In a joint memo obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, three remaining correspondents at the embattled CBS News show 60 Minutes, Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim, and Bill Whitaker, expressed their decision to stay with the program, citing a desire to prevent its demise.

The memo was written in response to the recent firings of several colleagues, including correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, and executive producer Tanya Simon, who had a 30-plus year tenure with the show. The firings were implemented by Bari Weiss, the new CBS News editor-in-chief, and her recently installed executive producer, Nick Bilton.

The three correspondents expressed their regret over the treatment of their colleagues, describing it as "shabby" and "indecent." However, they also stated that they are working to build trust with Bilton, their new boss, and left open the possibility that they could leave later if necessary.

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"We want to express how sorry we are that these principled, fair and honest journalists were treated so shabbily," the three correspondents wrote in their memo. "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."

The decision by Stahl, Wertheim, and Whitaker to stay is seen as a crucial step in Bilton's efforts to get the show back on track for the next season, which is set to launch in September. The show is currently down four correspondents, including Anderson Cooper, who left earlier this year after two decades.

The turmoil at 60 Minutes has been ongoing for more than a year, with much of it stemming from a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over the show's editing of a 2024 interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The lawsuit was settled for $16 million, which was seen as a "big fat bribe" by popular late-night host Stephen Colbert, who departed the network last month.

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CBS News has been a cornerstone of the American broadcast-news ecosystem since its radio days, with its nightly newscast once seen as one of the most widely trusted institutions in the nation under longtime anchorman Walter Cronkite. However, the network has faced challenges in recent years, including the shutdown of its radio operation earlier this year.