60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley lays into CBS leadership over cuts | CBS
Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley addressed CBS News management in a heated meeting on Monday morning, attacking the network’s decision on Thursday to fire the show’s executive producer, editor-in-chief and two fellow reporters, Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, as part of a broader overhaul of the program, sources told the Guardian.
During a meeting between the show’s staff and newly appointed executive producer, Nick Bilton, and CBS News editor-in-chief Charles Forelle, Pelley took direct aim at the network’s controversial editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss.
“He’s killing 60 Minutes,” Pelley said, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. “He doesn’t like this place. He was brought here to kill and that’s exactly what he’s doing.”
Forelle accused Pelley of being rude, and Pelley countered by saying the network’s treatment of the show’s executive producer Tanya Simon, who was fired on Thursday, was rude.
Bilton conveyed to Pelley that he “will not be afraid” of his words.
Sources said the 60 Minutes team in attendance gave Pelley strong support and gave him a standing ovation.
Last Wednesday, Pelley called out Alfonsi at the News and Documentary Emmy awards, hours after Alfonsi announced that the network had chosen not to renew his contract for the show’s 59th season. “There have been so many great 60 Minutes reporters over the years. I see Sharyn Alfonsi in the audience,” he said.
Pelley also effusively praised 18-year-old high school senior Santiago Campos, who called out the direction of the network under Weiss and said it “tainted the legacy of Mike Wallace,” named after the award Campos received.
“I know Mike Wallace is looking at you with pride right now,” Pelley said.
Monday’s conversation raises questions about Pelley’s future on the show.
CBS News and a spokesperson for Pelley have been contacted for comment.
On Wednesday, Alfonsi, who reported on a December 2025 segment about a notorious prison in El Salvador that was shelved by Weiss, issued a stunning statement, saying: “The wall between editorial independence and corporate interest at CBS is coming down on a regular basis.” He added: “Journalists who want to challenge authority are being pushed aside in favor of those who do not. If this continues, the result will be a publication similar to 60 Minutes but lacking the courage and character to produce important journalism.”
Vega, who joined the program in 2023, claimed in a statement on Thursday that political bias played a role on the channel.
“In recent months, my production teams and I have experienced efforts to inject political bias into our stories,” he said. “Reporting teams have refrained from reporting on important news issues for fear of internal repercussions. Let’s call it what it is: censorship that is both imposed and self-directed. Dangerous for spectacle, and dangerous for democracy.” The network released a statement opposing Vega’s characterization.
