Civil war at '60 Minutes' as top stars choose to stay but issue explosive ultimatum

Longtime "60 Minutes" correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim have decided to stay with the program following a wave of high-profile firings, while warning in a joint statement to colleagues that "newsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships."

The trio of veteran journalists admitted they are still "deeply upset" by the recent shakeups at the program. The past two weeks have seen the firings of several top correspondents and producers from the venerated show.

"We have had a hard time deciding whether to stay," the group wrote, ultimately noting that they chose to remain with the embattled newsmagazine because they "don’t want to see ‘60 Minutes’ die."

The long-running program has faced significant upheaval following the firings of producers Tanya Simon and Draggan Mihailovich, correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, among others. This week, Scott Pelley was terminated a day after he exploded on network leadership at a meeting with new "60 Minutes" executive producer Nick Bilton. 

'60 MINUTES' MELTDOWN: SCOTT PELLEY FIRED, PRAISED, SCOLDED FOR ATTACKING BARI WEISS, CHARGES BIAS

Bilton was brought in by embattled CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss to be the new "60 Minutes" head honcho. He got a rude welcome from Pelley, who told him he had "slender" qualifications and had harsher words for Weiss, who was not present at the meeting.

According to Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim, no explanation was offered for the departures of Simon and Mihailovich, whom they described as "strong leaders who everyone respected."

"As far as we can tell – because no explanation has ever been offered, they were expelled because they fought for our ‘60 Minutes’ values and stood up to protect our independence and integrity," they said.

"We want to express how sorry we are that these principled, fair and honest journalists were treated so shabbily, with such indecency. Tanya deserves to be celebrated, not cruelly cast off. Draggan too. It’s been heartbreaking," the group later added.

The statement comes days after Pelley challenged the show’s new leadership, accusing Weiss of "murdering" the program, which debuted in 1968.

SCOTT PELLEY FIRED AT CBS NEWS AFTER BLOWUPS WITH BARI WEISS, NEW '60 MINUTES' PRODUCER

The correspondents also addressed Pelley’s departure and those of other former "60 Minutes" staffers.

"This goes for Sharyn, Cecilia and Scott as well, all at the top of the world of TV journalism who exemplified 60 Minutes’ ethos of tough questions and honest storytelling," they wrote.

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Despite the turmoil, Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim confirmed their intention to stay on and "try to repair and preserve our reputation." They said they were concerned the decision could be "construed as an endorsement of the existing power structure," but added that is "categorically not the case."

They said the decision is not final and that they are willing to leave if the show strays further from independent journalism, adding, "If we can continue doing the work that made this show what it is — committing acts of independent, fearless journalism and storytelling — we’re here for it. If not, we leave."

CBS previously pushed back against Pelley’s allegations of politics influencing the show’s decisions. 

"There is no political interference at CBS News, not from ownership, not from Bari Weiss," a network spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "The only 'interference' is the normal back and forth between editor and correspondent that happens in every newsroom."