Veteran “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker has privately admitted that he sometimes feels like a “traitor” for staying at the storied newsmagazine after Bari Weiss fired six of his colleagues — while on other days he considers himself part of the “resistance,” according to a report.
Whitaker made the striking remarks during a recent gathering at the Central Park West home of CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook that was organized to honor the staffers ousted on what employees have dubbed “Black Thursday,” Status reported.
The honorees were executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, producers Guy Campanile and Matthew Polevoy and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.
Whitaker delivered remarks criticizing the firings, according to Breaker Media, which first reported the gathering.
The journo reportedly described his feelings about remaining at “60 Minutes” as a “seesaw” — telling the room that some days he worries he betrayed his former colleagues by staying, while on others, he views himself as pushing back from within.
Whitaker also expressed confidence that the program would survive the upheaval, according to Status.
Former correspondent Scott Pelley and current correspondent Lesley Stahl also attended the gathering, along with Simon and other current and former staffers. Alfonsi and Vega were traveling and did not attend.
Whitaker’s conflicted remarks underscore the bind facing the remaining veterans after a series of departures dramatically shook up the program.
Pelley was fired shortly after the six May dismissals following a heated confrontation with newly installed executive producer Nick Bilton. Pelley attacked Bilton’s qualifications and accused Weiss of “murdering” “60 Minutes.”
Anderson Cooper separately ended his nearly two-decade relationship with the broadcast.
Whitaker, Stahl and Jon Wertheim ultimately decided to remain, but previously made clear that their decision should not be interpreted as an endorsement of management.
Whitaker is now pushing ahead with the upcoming season, traveling to Ukraine this week for a reporting assignment, Status reported.
Behind the scenes, the clock is ticking toward the Sept. 13 premiere.
The production pipeline is reportedly running well behind its usual pace. More than a dozen pieces would normally have been screened by this point in the summer — compared with no more than one so far this year, according to Status.
One source called the situation a “five-alarm fire,” although several screenings are scheduled for next week and every producer has at least two stories in development, the newsletter reported.
Meanwhile, Weiss has become increasingly visible inside the “60 Minutes” operation.
Staffers believe the CBS News editor-in-chief has effectively become the program’s de facto executive producer because of her extensive involvement in editorial decisions, according to Status.
Weiss was spotted this week working from Simon’s former office on the “60 Minutes” floor, which Bilton has converted into a conference room, the newsletter reported.
A person familiar with the inner workings of “60 Minutes” pushed back on the characterization of Weiss as the show’s de facto executive producer, noting that Bilton holds that title while Weiss has responsibilities across the news division.
The source also disputed any suggestion that Weiss had effectively moved into Simon’s old stomping grounds.
Bilton converted Simon’s former corner office into a conference room available to the entire “60 Minutes” staff, and Weiss does not maintain a permanent office at the newsmagazine, the person said.
CBS News managing editor Charles Forelle, one of Weiss’s top deputies, has also established a presence on the floor and is heavily involved in the editorial process, according to Status.
The rebuilt program will feature holdovers Whitaker, Stahl and Wertheim along with Norah O’Donnell and new correspondent Ross Douthat. New contributors include Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni, Ariel Levy and Trevor Phillips.
Junger has already acknowledged the turmoil surrounding his new workplace.
After his hiring was announced, he wrote that there had been “troubling events at ‘60 Minutes’ over the last few months” and that the program had experienced “tremendous turmoil.”
“I’m very clear that I’m working for the truth, not for CBS or anyone else, and it is my great honor to do that,” Junger wrote.
The remarks did not sit well with Weiss, Status reported.
For Whitaker, however, the immediate task is getting the broadcast back on the air — even as he wrestles privately with what it means to be one of the veterans who stayed.
The Post has sought comment from Whitaker and CBS News.
