Former "60 Minutes" correspondents Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi have been appointed journalists in residence at Columbia University. The announcement comes months after their departures from the CBS News program amidst a major shake-up under CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.
Pelley and Alfonsi will engage with students through lectures, workshops, and special events at Columbia's journalism school. They are also set to contribute 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 of Columbia's J-School. "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's exit from "60 Minutes" occurred in early June, following a staff meeting where he reportedly criticized the inexperience of the show's new executive producer, Nick Bilton. Pelley had also publicly voiced concerns about the direction of the program under Weiss, stating the network's management had "instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story." CBS News, in response, described the situation as a normal part of the editing process.
Alfonsi's contract with CBS News expired in late May. Her departure followed her expressed concerns about "corporate meddling" in her reporting, including a dispute over a story concerning El Salvador's CECOT prison. Another correspondent, Cecilia Vega, also raised concerns about alleged attempts by management to insert political bias into her stories, which CBS News denied.
Prior to their appointments at Columbia, reports indicated that Pelley, Alfonsi, and other former "60 Minutes" staffers were considering launching a new investigative news program, aiming to raise $50 million for funding. Bill Owens, a former executive producer of "60 Minutes," was reportedly involved in these discussions.