CBS fired Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi after serving as longtime 60 Minutes correspondents, but their next role has now come into focus.
Pelley and Alfonsi will be joining Columbia University as the Journalists in residence, where they will work with students in lectures, workshops, and other events. They will also each provide a piece to the Columbia Journalism Review.
“We’re both excited and honored to welcome two journalists of this caliber to our Journalist in Residence Program,” said Jelani Cobb, Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism. “Their distinguished track records in investigative reporting highlight the amazing opportunity our students will have to learn from them, and we look forward to having Sharyn and Scott with us this year.”
Pelley and Alfonsi also shared statements following the news of their new roles.
“Deep, rigorous and fearless reporting has never been more vital,” Ms. Alfonsi said. “This is a critical time for a free press,” Mr. Pelley added, per the New York Times.
Cobb further told the outlet that they had reached out to Pelley on the day after he was fired by CBS, offering him and Alfonsi the role.
Reactions To Scott Pelley & Sharyn Alfonsi’s New Role
The Instagram account for Columbia University’s Journalism School posted, announcing the news, and reactions poured in, celebrating this new chapter for the two veteran journalists.
“Brilliant!! Congratulation to both of you and Columbia!! ❤️❤️,” chef Ina Garten commented.
“Columbia is so lucky to have you teaching the next generation of journalism students. ❤️,” journalist Jennifer Breheny Wallace wrote.
“This is great news! Congratulations to you both, to Columbia and to the next generation of journalists who will benefit from your wisdom!,” one person posted.
“gotta love them training the next generation of journalists … they certainly represent what integrity means and looks like 👍👍,” another person said.
What Happened at ’60 Minutes’?
GettyOn Tuesday, June 2, it was announced that Pelley was fired from ’60 Minutes,’ with CBS specifically saying he was “terminated for cause.” It came after he had tension with CBS editor in chief Bari Weiss and after he confronted the show’s new executive producer, Nick Bilton regarding the staffing changes.
Following the news of his firing, he penned a letter on social media, calling out CBS and highlighting how important journalism truly is.
“Last month, 60 Minutes lost its DNA when our entire senior leadership and two of our best on-air correspondents were cruelly fired without cause,” he wrote. “Good people were silence because they stood up for our audience. They stood for fairness against the forces of political bias; they stood for professionalism against chaos.”
Along with Pelley and Alfonsi, Cecilia Vegas was also fired and has since spoken out during a discussion with ABC News correspondent John Quiñones at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference & Expo in New Orleans. She said that Weiss asked her to report on events that “never happened” or stories that couldn’t be confirmed.
