(SOUNDBITE OF STOPWATCH TICKING)
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
When you hear that stopwatch ticking away, you know it is time for "60 Minutes," TV's premier news magazine for almost six decades. The show has broken news, exposed bad actors at home and abroad and put tough questions to presidents and world leaders.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
JEFFREY WIGAND: Now, we're a the nicotine delivery business, and that's what cigarettes are for, most certainly.
DAN RATHER: It was this picture and dozens of others that prompted an investigation by the U.S. Army.
HILLARY CLINTON: You know, I'm not sitting here, some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette.
DETROW: Now it's in free fall. Leadership at CBS has gutted the show and fired several correspondents. Last night, Scott Pelley got the axe after he questioned top CBS executive Bari Weiss and "60 Minutes" executive producer about the show's direction. Steve Kroft was a correspondent at "60 Minutes" for decades and joins us now. Thanks for joining us.
STEVE KROFT: My pleasure to be here, Scott, but not under these circumstances.
DETROW: Right. To that end, I just want to start with what has been going through your head over the past three days.
KROFT: Disbelief. I think I'm totally surprised that one of the most successful and popular news programs on television could be essentially destroyed under the instructions of the president of the United States.
DETROW: Tell me more about what you think, from your perspective, is going on. Because you gave this quote to the media news site, Status, before this latest twist - "since I retired, I often wondered what would happen to '60 Minutes,' but I never expected it would be executed by the president of the United States." Tell me what you mean by that.
KROFT: Well, I mean that the only possible explanation for the moves that have been made by CBS corporate - meaning Paramount - the only explanation is that they're feeling pressure from the White House not to do any stories or air any programs that are critical of the president of the United States, you know, until and unless the situation with the merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount is complete.
DETROW: Yeah. I mean, what, to you, is the best way to explain to somebody who's not in the news business what the megaphone, what the platform of a "60 Minutes" is compared to other news outlets when it comes to the implications of censoring the type of news that a program like that is covering?
KROFT: I think that, you know, the characteristics that I would say have been most valuable and kept it on the air for 58 years is its credibility with the audience and its integrity, its willingness to take on unpopular causes, important people and confront them sometimes with accurate and true information that they would rather not have to deal with.
DETROW: Do you agree with Scott Pelley that current management at CBS is, quote, "murdering '60 Minutes'"?
KROFT: Yes. I used the word executed because it was - murdered sounded really bloody and I wasn't (laughter) sure I could get an indictment. But yes, I agree with it totally. It's the only explanation. Today Scott put out a memo of his conversations with Bari Weiss yesterday - the meeting in which he was fired. And we asked a bunch of, you know, very simple questions. Why did you fire Tanya Simon? Why did you fire Cecilia Vega? And she said, I'm not going to answer those questions. Now, normally, if you make that kind of change, you have reason to do it. But the facts are a little baffling since the show had a very successful season last year, at least in terms of ratings...
DETROW: Yeah.
KROFT: ...And a 9% growth. And they seem to be saying, eventually, this show is going to run out of gas - even though it hasn't in 58 years. But we want to take it in a new direction now, before things get rough.
DETROW: Look, you know full well that there's a lot of people out there who are cheering this news. They think Scott Pelley and many other journalists with big platforms are anti-Trump or biased. What is your response to that criticism?
KROFT: Well, I think that this is about something much bigger than "60 Minutes" and a television news program. I think this is part of a continuing insidious assault against the First Amendment, or at least against people who choose to pick fights with this administration. I don't think there's any other conclusion that you can reach. They have been very vocal in their thoughts of particularly the president and particularly the commissioner of the FCC about their dislike for "60 Minutes" and about the desperate need for change.
DETROW: Do you think that broader assault is working? Do you think journalism is weaker than it was a year or two years ago?
KROFT: I think, yes. I do believe that. I think you can see it by watching the evening newscasts. You know, there's a real reluctance to cover what's happening in Washington. I think there is - you know, it's intimidation. They've created a climate of fear to make the news organization unwilling to tackle the problem and report the news.
DETROW: Given all of this, I'm wondering, next fall, when the show airs a big sit-down with President Trump or a member of the Trump administration, will you trust what you're seeing?
KROFT: No, not like I have done in the past. I think that's the - that goes to speaking about the credibility that the show has had. And I think that there has been constant assaults on the credibility by the administration and with political motives involved. I think that there's been a breach of trust. I don't want to - you know, I wish Nick Bilton the best of luck. I hope that he approaches this job in hopes to - with the idea of maintaining the things that "60 Minutes" has stood for in the past. But I don't have much confidence in that.
DETROW: Steve Kroft, longtime correspondent on "60 Minutes," thank you so much for talking to us.
KROFT: My pleasure, Scott.
DETROW: NPR asked CBS for comment. A representative, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed to an interview Bilton gave CNBC saying his hiring was not political. I will prove it with the work, he said, adding he's, quote, "dedicated to holding people in power to account." Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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