60 Minutes producer Nick Bilton thanks staff after turbulent week

Nick Bilton, the new executive producer of 60 Minutes, sent a memo thanking staff after what he called "a hell of a first week." He wrote, "It has been a trying and difficult few days," and said he had been consulting with colleagues about the show's future. His arrival sparked tensions.

Longtime correspondent Scott Pelley pressed Bilton about his qualifications and those of CBS News top editor Bari Weiss, both of whom lacked TV news backgrounds. Pelley confronted Bilton at an all-hands meeting after CBS dismissed Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega; the network then fired Pelley, and Bilton said Pelley's "antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear." Bilton's memo underscored that "the foundation of 60 Minutes is its journalistic independence" and promised the program "will always pursue stories without fear or favor." He added that the show "will never be instructed by the ownership of the company on those stories," and named Maria Gavrilovic as senior producer.

nick bilton, 60 minutes, cbs, scott pelley, bari weiss, sharyn alfonsi, cecilia vega, maria gavrilovic, executive producer, journalistic independence