When “60 Minutes” is in Trouble, We are All in Trouble
Scott Pelley’s warning about political meddling in the storied news magazine program should alarm all Americans.
Source: Jim Acosta Jun 03, 2026
Scott Pelley fired from “60 Minutes”
The firing of Scott Pelley from “60 Minutes,” the nation’s longest running television news magazine program, should be a “hair on fire” moment for all Americans. From his weekly perch as the show’s most visible correspondent, Pelley dutifully carried on the tradition of Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, and Edward R. Murrow in reporting the news without fear or favor. He considered his job as one of public service. So, in my view, there can be no doubt about the veracity of the concerns expressed by Pelley that CBS’s recently installed editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, was “murdering” the program. But that’s not all. In case you missed it, Pelley’s charges against Weiss go way beyond attempts to kill the show and are equally alarming.
In a statement released to the press following his dismissal at CBS, Pelley accused Weiss and the network’s leadership of intentionally meddling in the editorial process at “60 Minutes” for political purposes. The statement was obtained by multiple news outlets, including the New York Times, National Public Radio and OIiver Darcy’s “Status” newsletter and is posted below.
“For my part, new management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified,” Pelley said in the statement. “To date, in every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them,” Pelley added.
Pelley statement after his firing at CBS
Pelley was, of course, incensed that two of his colleagues at “60,” Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, were abruptly fired last week for essentially the same reason – they courageously opposed the Weiss team’s interference in their work.
“Good people were silenced because they stood up for our audience,” Pelley wrote.
For her part, Weiss defended herself on a conference call with network staffers on Wednesday, according to media reporter Jeremy Barr of “The Guardian.”
“I know I speak for myself, and I hope I speak for everyone here when I say that I’m only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect. We cannot do our work without it. That foundation was broken on Monday, and despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back, unfortunately we weren’t able to do so, and so we had to part ways,” Weiss said. [Editor: In other words: Pelley would not kneel. So he was fired.]
How and Why Alfonsi got the axe
In Weiss’s world, respect appears to be a one-way street. Remember the piece on “60” that first raised alarm bells about what Weiss was up to, after she was installed at CBS by the Trump-friendly Ellison family. Alfonsi had just completed a piece on the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador, where the Trump administration was warehousing migrant detainees in deplorable conditions. Weiss, who temporarily shelved the report, was apparently demanding that Alfonsi include the perspectives of administration officials, something the correspondent had already tried to do. Not to belabor this point, but the drama surrounding “60’s” CECOT piece perfectly illustrated both the bias and the incompetence that Weiss brought with her to CBS News. Of course, Sharyn would seek the input of the administration as part of her reporting. But she was not about to put the entire piece on hold because the Trump White House refused to speak to the press. Weiss should know, and must know, that is not how things are done.
Pelley is trusted source
All of which circles back to Pelley’s concerns about Weiss and her efforts to “murder” the program. Pelley was not even citing the CECOT story in his statement about political meddling at “60 Minutes.” He referred to his own experience in dealing with CBS management attempting to “inject falsehoods and bias” into his reporting. That is a damning charge and one the American people should take very seriously. Pelley is, without question, one of the most trusted journalists in the world. If Pelley says something of that magnitude is occurring, you can take it to the bank.
News taking a new direction, tampered by T**** admin
Years ago, when I worked at CBS News during the mid-2000’s, Pelley was something of a mentor to me. I looked up to Scott as part of the “gold standard” of reporting at CBS, following in the footsteps of Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, and Edward R. Murrow. Sadly, that era may be coming to an end. Perhaps it will be replaced by a golden era of independent journalism. The green shoots of this revolution are already visible as there are so many rising stars of this new medium. Maybe Pelley, Alfonsi, and Vega could be a part of it. We would all be the better for it.
AmeriKans have not taken NO KINGS far enough
In the meantime, the president of the United States and his oligarch friends, who command much of the nation’s airwaves, have made it all too clear that they are deadly serious when it comes to chipping away at the First Amendment and the free press itself. The same people who are currently “murdering” the nation’s 58-year old news magazine, as Pelley put it, are now in the process of merging with the parent company of CNN. If that deal goes through, and it likely will, it is a very real possibility that Americans will soon witness the creation of a state media-like propaganda giant that rivals Fox News in size and scale. [Editor: A la 1984] What will “60 Minutes” look like and sound like when it is controlled by a Paramount/WBD media giant? Not the same “60 Minutes” of yesteryear, I assure you.
Pelley was famous for giving reporters this piece of advice: “you can either be too aggressive or not aggressive enough.” It is high time for the independent media to follow Pelley’s advice, be aggressive, and sound the alarm about the coming storm. What happens if the most powerful country on Earth loses a strong, free press? Look around the world at the countries that have state-controlled media. They are not places where you want to live.
If only we could have a “60 Minutes” special report on what’s happening inside “60 Minutes,” perhaps then we could get to the bottom of all of this. The clock is ticking. As I have said many times, and I will repeat myself here, when “60 Minutes” is in trouble, we are all in trouble.
_______________________________________Jim Acosta
