Scott Pelley says he was fired Tuesday night after criticizing Bari Weiss’ leadership at CBS News, accusing new management of urging him to “inject falsehoods and bias” and letting politicians choose interviewers. In the days leading up to his exit, Pelley had
On Tuesday night, Scott Pelley walked out of CBS News after saying the network’s new management had asked him to violate the standards he believes 60 Minutes depends on.
“The principles I hold dear are gone,” the 60 Minutes correspondent said in a statement issued after he was fired, adding, “And so I must leave.”
Pelley’s exit came a day after he criticized Bari Weiss’ leadership at CBS News. a dispute that quickly became a fight over what he says CBS is no longer willing to do on camera. In his statement. he described instructions from program management that he says required him to “inject falsehoods and bias” and “include assertions that are unverified.” He said he refused.
He also accused the network of changing the basic mechanics of interviews by allowing politicians to pick their own interviewers. To Pelley. that is not a small editorial adjustment—it is control slipping away from journalists and into the hands of the people being questioned. destroying the broadcast’s integrity.
Pelley said network leadership previously pulled 60 Minutes segments. pointing specifically to a segment that was critical of the Trump administration’s deporting people from Venezuela to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. The move, he said, echoed the same direction he claims he was now being pushed to endorse.
The firing landed just days after Pelley’s presence at the 47th News and Documentary Emmy Awards last Wednesday. where he handed a $10. 000 scholarship from CBS News to Santiago Campos. a high school senior. Campos’ submission examined the Trump administration’s immigration crackdowns through the story of his own family. In his acceptance speech. Campos condemned CBS News’ new editorial direction. saying it “stains the legacy of Mike Wallace. the namesake of this scholarship.”.
Pelley’s response to Campos was warm—he told him. “God. we need young people like you right behind us.” He added. “I know that Mike Wallace is looking down at you with pride at this very moment.” Those remarks underscored the contrast between what Pelley showed in the spotlight and what he says happened behind it.
In his statement, Pelley also tied the shakeup to the corporate changes around CBS News. He pointed to David Ellison, the son of Oracle co-founder and centi-billionaire Larry Ellison, taking over Paramount, the company that owns the network.
Together. the sequence of accusations—messages to include “unverified” claims. requests to “inject falsehoods and bias. ” and a system where politicians can select interviewers—puts the fight over editorial independence at the center of what led to his removal. For Pelley, it was not about a single episode or a single disagreement. He said the standards were gone.
At the moment he was dismissed, his statement left little room for negotiation: the direction he says CBS is taking isn’t merely different—it is, in his words, incompatible with the principles he holds dear.
Scott Pelley 60 Minutes CBS News Bari Weiss David Ellison Paramount Trump administration Venezuela deportations El Salvador Mike Wallace scholarship Santiago Campos News and Documentary Emmy Awards
Sounds like CBS can’t handle criticism.
So Bari Weiss got him fired basically? I mean I didn’t read all of it but “inject falsehoods” is a wild accusation. Kinda makes you wonder what changed behind the scenes.
Wait, I thought 60 Minutes was supposed to be unbiased, so if politicians are picking interviewers then yeah that’s a problem. But also could be overblown? Like maybe he’s just mad he lost editorial control or something. I saw a headline that said he walked out, so idk.
This is why I don’t trust any of those networks anymore. First they ‘pulled segments’ and now they want him to inject falsehoods?? That sounds like “they’re trying to control the narrative” but I also heard somewhere else that he was the one who messed up sourcing. Also the El Salvador prison thing… I’m sure it’s all connected, even if the details got tangled in the article. Either way, sounds like nobody is innocent.