Veteran journalist Scott Pelley fired from CBS after internal conflict
Theo Al Jazeera English
Scott Pelley, a veteran correspondent for 60 Minutes, was fired by CBS after criticizing leadership for undermining the program. The dismissal deepens turmoil at America's most influential news show, escalating internal conflict over editorial direction.
CBS fired Scott Pelley, a veteran correspondent for 60 Minutes, after he reportedly criticized Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss for “killing the program” and accused the new executive producer of being “poorly qualified” for the job.
The firing on Tuesday deepened the chaos at America's most influential news program, just days after a leadership restructuring.
Pelley, 68, criticized the leadership during a tense staff meeting Monday with Nick Bilton, the new executive producer appointed by Weiss the prior week, according to a report on Status.
In a termination letter obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Bilton — a technology journalist and filmmaker with no traditional broadcast experience — accused Pelley of “ambushing” him. “Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with the staff to disparage me, my qualifications and my intentions with considerable rudeness and contempt,” the letter said.
Pelley said in a statement that 60 Minutes has lost its identity under new leadership. He accused managers of asking him to “inject lies and bias” into his work without sharing specific details. “Now, the network’s new owners are discarding this legend, apparently to ingratiate themselves with the Trump administration,” he said.
Status, which said it had a recording of the Tuesday meeting, reported that Pelley said Weiss was brought in to “kill the newspaper and she is doing exactly that.” Weiss was not at the meeting.
Pelley reportedly questioned Bilton about the firing the previous week of Bilton’s predecessor, Tanya Simon, and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Alfonsi had criticized Weiss last year for delaying a segment about deportees sent to the CECOT terrorist detention center in El Salvador, part of President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Pelley joins more than half a dozen people who have left the Sunday news magazine — the longest-running prime-time program in the U.S. — in recent weeks.
Skydance Media, run by David Ellison — son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, a longtime Trump supporter — acquired CBS owner Paramount in August and appointed Weiss in October. David Ellison helped secure regulatory approval for the deal, creating Paramount Skydance, with a promise that the CBS network would reflect the “diverse ideological viewpoints” of the American audience.
Prior to the deal, Paramount paid $16 million to settle a 2024 lawsuit filed by Trump related to a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. He alleged that editing one of her statements distorted his opponent’s views for the White House, but legal experts considered his lawsuit baseless.
