Three longtime correspondents of CBS's news magazine program '60 Minutes'—Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim—have announced that they will remain with the show despite ongoing turmoil within CBS News.

In a memo sent to colleagues, the journalists acknowledged that they had seriously considered leaving following recent leadership changes and staff dismissals but ultimately decided to stay because they did not want to see the historic program decline or disappear.

The correspondents described themselves as heartbroken over the departures of several colleagues, including executive producer Tanya Simon and senior producer Draggan Mihailovich.

Their statement also referenced concerns surrounding the firing of correspondent Scott Pelley, who reportedly clashed with newly appointed executive producer Nick Bilton regarding the direction of the program.

Although they chose to remain, Stahl, Whitaker, and Wertheim emphasized that their decision should not be interpreted as support for the current management structure at CBS News.

They explicitly stated that they worried their return could be seen as an endorsement of the organization's leadership but insisted that this was not the case.

The memo expressed dissatisfaction with how the newsroom is being managed and included criticism of what they characterized as an overly centralized approach to decision-making.The development highlights continuing tensions within CBS News following significant personnel changes under editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.

The statement from the three correspondents signals both loyalty to the '60 Minutes' brand and ongoing concern about the network's editorial leadership and newsroom culture.