Liberal journalist and former CBS anchor Katie Couric admitted Thursday that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss had little choice but to fire longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley after his explosive confrontation with network leadership, even as she expressed sympathy for his frustrations over changes at the storied newsmagazine.
“I don’t think that Bari Weiss had any choice but to let Scott Pelley go,” Couric said on her online show. “I mean, I think it’s a classic definition of insubordination.”
The remarks came days after Pelley was fired following a contentious staff meeting in which he harshly criticized Weiss and her management of “60 Minutes,” amid a broader shake-up at CBS News under new ownership.
Couric, who worked at CBS News for five years, said she understood why Pelley was angry but argued that the way he aired those grievances left management with few options.
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“I admired that he stood up for his principles,” Couric said. “I just think perhaps the way that he did it and the way he expressed himself might have been handled differently.”
Pelley was incensed over last week’s firings of senior “60 Minutes” figures, including executive producer Tanya Simon and reporters Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi.
“I think that Scott was really, really angry first and foremost about that,” Couric said, adding that concerns about what she described as “creeping” editorial interference also fueled tensions inside the program.
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Media reporter Oliver Darcy, who runs the left-leaning newsletter Status, agreed with Couric that Pelley likely knew he was risking his job.
“I think he knew he was daring management to fire him,” Darcy said. “If they weren’t going to fire him for this pretty obvious act of insubordination, then it would be very difficult, I think, to fire people in the future.”
Both Couric and Darcy criticized how CBS leadership handled the broader overhaul of “60 Minutes.” Couric said the dismissals of key staff members had generated deep resentment within the newsroom.
Pelley’s firing has drawn outrage from numerous left-wing media figures, as well as some prominent Democrats, leading conservatives to argue it proves their point about the show’s institutional biases. MS NOW host Rachel Maddow even invited Pelley to join the progressive cable network.
“A friend of mine wrote me this morning and said, ‘For better or for worse, Bari Weiss is in charge at CBS News,’” Couric said. “You can quit and protest or express your anger, but it’s not a surprise to me that he was fired almost immediately.”
Pelley challenged Weiss during a staff meeting after a series of personnel changes that followed the installation of Nick Bilton as executive producer at “60 Minutes.” Following his dismissal, Pelley forcefully disputed Weiss’ characterization of the events leading to his firing.
He has also claimed he was instructed to insert “falsehoods” into his reporting. A CBS spokesperson told Fox News Digital this week that there was no political interference at the company.
“There is no political interference at CBS News, not from ownership, not from Bari Weiss. The only ‘interference’ is the normal back and forth between editor and correspondent that happens in every newsroom,” the spokesperson said.
Fox News Digital reached out to CBS for additional comment but did not immediately receive a response.