[1] Until March 2013, he served as a chief national correspondent for The CBS Evening News and contributed regularly to 60 Minutes.

He was named a CBS News correspondent in May 1998, and was based in the Miami (1998–99) and Atlanta (1999–2001) bureaus and eventually New York City in January 2001.

Pitts was one of CBS News' lead reporters during the September 11 attacks and won a national Emmy Award for his coverage.

As an embedded reporter covering the Iraq War, he was recognized for his work under fire within minutes of the fall of the Saddam Hussein statue.

Pitts published a memoir, Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life's Challenges on September 29, 2009.