The world of journalism was stunned after veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley was fired Tuesday (June 2), after he pointedly criticized CBS leadership, including CBS News boss Bari Weiss and newly named 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton.
Pelley, a 37-year veteran of the network as a former Evening News anchor and 60 Minutes correspondent, didn’t mince words in his statement after the firing. The leadership of 60 Minutes is no longer recognizable,” he wrote, “The principles I hold dear are gone, and so I must leave as well.”
The full statement revealed that Pelley saw his firing as part of a larger fall from grace for CBS as Paramount CBS owner David Ellison is “apparently trying to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.” Ellison is awaiting federal approval for his $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Pelley also dropped shocking allegations. “New management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story,” he wrote. “I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified. To date, in every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them.”
The veteran anchor also claimed that one episode barely made it on air after mismanagement, and that politicians appearing on 60 Minutes could choose who’d conduct their interviews – a practice that violates basic journalism ethical standards.
Bilton announced the firing “with cause” in a statement, claiming that Pelley put on a “performative display of hostility” toward him. According to reporting from Deadline, Pelley reportedly called out Bilton and the absent Weiss at their first meeting with other 60 Minutes staff in-person and remotely.
“She has no qualifications for her job; you have slender qualifications for this job,” Pelley said to Bilton. “The changes that she’s made at the Evening News have been catastrophic, so why should we expect that any of this is going to be any better?”
Pelley closed his statement, writing that he hoped “for a day when sanity, competence, and courage return.” He is
reportedly seeking advice from attorney Bryan Freedman. Freedman was a key figure in obtaining hefty compensation for Megyn Kelly, Chris Cuomo, Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson from their respective legacy media outlets.
