Former '60 Minutes' correspondents Pelley, Alfonsi go from newsroom to classroom

Sharyn Alfonsi and Scott Pelley, two of the correspondents ousted from “60 Minutes” as part of a major shakeup at the storied CBS News show, are moving from the newsroom to the classroom. Columbia Journalism School announced Monday that the two would serve as Journalists in Residence for the upcoming academic year.

In a statement, the school said the two, who both lost their “60 Minutes” jobs two months ago amid changes imposed by CBS News’ editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, would in their part-time positions advise and mentor students, give lectures and contribute to the Columbia Journalism Review, among other things.

In an interview, Jelani Cobb, dean of the journalism school, said he had reached out to Pelley the day after he was fired in early June after he confronted CBS News leadership about the changes instituted by Weiss. That included replacing the show’s executive producer, Tanya Simon, with Nick Bilton, who had little substantial broadcast TV experience.

Alfonsi, who spent more than a decade reporting for “60 Minutes” before the show failed to renew her contract this year, called the new position “an extraordinary privilege.” Pelley noted that it was “a critical time for a free press” and expressed honor in joining Alfonsi in training the next generation of journalists.