The "60 Minutes" logo. (Courtesy of CBS News)
At 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the dispirited staff of “60 Minutes” logged onto Zoom for a meeting with CBS News President Tom Cibrowski and interim Executive Producer Tanya Simon. The meeting, described to me by attendees, had been hastily arranged to address the bombshell news that Paramount Global, the parent company controlled by heiress Shari Redstone, had agreed to pay Donald Trump a $16 million settlement—news that Simon herself disclosed she learned about only when it broke publicly. Simon acknowledged from the outset that the meeting was not to share good news, but noted that she was relieved neither the show nor the network had issued an apology or statement of regret alongside the payout.
When the meeting opened up for discussion, emotions spilled over. I’m told that correspondent Bill Whitaker spoke first and was quite somber, appearing teary-eyed as he spoke about the institution he loves. Lesley Stahl and Sharyn Alfonsi followed, voicing deep frustration and dismay that…
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