Thank you, Elliot, for this edition of TtF. I'll keep it short, rather than ranting about CBS, Weiss, Ellison, et al. After CBS capitulated to Trump and cancelled Colbert, so many of us committed to leaving CBS and Paramount+. For those who were on the fence about that, or weren't ready to make that commitment, I'm betting that Weiss' ruination of 60 Minutes, including hiring Bilton, will be the death knell of the network. Pelley's statement in the meeting with Bilton is exactly what was needed to highlight the rot at the helm. Thank you for including his full statement. It's a model of integrity in journalism that - I hope - will be taught in J Schools starting now and for decades to come.
This isn't a single personnel decision — it's a purge. Pelley is the fourth 60 Minutes reporter to leave the venerable newsmagazine since February, leaving just a trio — Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim — to handle assignments as the show prepares for its 59th season. The names removed tell the story: veteran executive producer Bill Owens resigned citing pressure on his journalistic independence. Then CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon resigned. Then correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, executive producer Tanya Simon, and correspondent Cecilia Vega were all let go. Now Scott Pelley — 51 Emmy Awards, over two decades at 60 Minutes — is gone. These are not underperformers being managed out. They are the institutional backbone of American broadcast journalism
Great post! With Colbert gone and 60 Minutes gutted, CBS is finished for me. And for the majority of Americans. I hope the likes of Colbert and Pelley can get together on a new kind of platform that is not bidden to the billionaire class and a corrupt administration. The need and the technology is there.
Scott Pelley is a world-renowned journalist who knows how to speak truth to power in whichever medium he speaks. Independent media is filling the void as traditional media fades, and as Shakespeare wrote, "The truth will out." If Shakespeare were alive today, I believe he would write a play about journalists and the American scene. I'd prefer a comedy with a happy ending, but the humongous, bruised, orange hombre writes a story of a tragedy, with a fatally flawed central character.
It's hard to know what Shakespeare would write about America today, but I have been thinking about it lately. Trump has elements of Richard III, Lear, Macbeth, and Bottom, but he is not noble, brave, or truly humorous. He has multiple flaws but no redeeming features, so he is in no way a tragic hero. He is Lear without a noble past, Macbeth without bravery or mastery, relying on his own Wormtongue Lady Macbeth Stephen Miller for ambition. Perhaps he is the sound and fury signifying nothing.
its about damn time and this needs to be the norm...the only upside of this corporate fascism we are living under currently is in the end corporations speak one language only....money....the kimmel firing cancellations and unfiring prove that rather obvious point...corporations are bending to rump cuz its easier to they hoped it wouldnt last this long and are gonna cash in any time they can unless forced to behave differently....corporate media have no incentive to report the truths...the yare the ones who profit for many yeras off rump headlines and worse and ensure he got and remains in power...if they were ever going to do the right thing they would have...it is time to support big corporations conglomerates etc as little as possible and for decent people to forge new paths freer of corporate commercial fascist control....
I have watched "60 Minutes" since its inception when I was a teenager 58 years ago. I stopped watching it last January when tRump got his nose into it and started dictating what we would see. That's not "60 Minutes" anymore. Now there will no longer be the program itself with them firing all those that made it "60 Minutes" and people like Pelley and Anderson Cooper leaving. They may have trouble finding sponsors now.
I agree, money is their only language, I canceled Paramount the day after the last Stephen Colbert Show, I hope many will boycott all CBS holdings and any advertisers that do choose to support them. , and don't hold any of their stock in retirement funds, ,
We need more Scott Pelley’s in Congress! I have been a faithful fan of 60 minutes from the first time it aired on TV. I regret to say that will no longer be the case.
I read about it yesterday & I stopped watching 60 Minutes, even though it is one of only a few shows I watched on CBS, which I try to avoid watching. My TV is primarily PBS, with occasional local news on local stations….
I have been a follower of 60 for years, and look forward to every week’s broadcast. It is inconceivable that forces are now being unleashed against a news organization that over the years has brought brave and honest reporting. If this group can be cast aside, then we must be on guard for worst things to come. We must not give up. Tom Daily
Bullies are weak, empty, unbalanced people. They have to be called out for the sake of the rest of us and for the institutions we value. Bravo Scott Pelley! Now if we could get Congress to do the same...
Thank you for this detailed truth. I remember Edward R Murrow, Walter Cronkite and 60 minutes . CBS was the gold standard for ethical accurate broadcast journalism. I grieve this loss.
This feels like a story as old as time, Rich and greedy extract the lifeblood from a civilization,
THE BREAKDOWN OF CBS NEWS INTEGRITY: A QUICK SUMMARY
===========================================
THE OLD CBS NEWS LEGACY:
===========================================
• ETHICAL RULES: Guided by a rigorous, 38-page independent ethical manual.
• GOVERNMENT: Stood up to federal intimidation (like Murrow vs. McCarthy).
• THE TALENT: Anchored by trusted industry titans like Walter Cronkite and Scott Pelley.
• OWNERSHIP: Maintained total editorial independence from corporate parent boards.
===========================================
THE NEW 2026 REALITY UNDER BARI WEISS:
===========================================
• ETHICAL RULES: Swapped the handbook for vague "5 Simple Values" critics call a cover for corporate compliance.
• GOVERNMENT: Accused of pulling or altering sensitive investigative packages under political pressure.
• THE TALENT: Slashes senior leadership and fires veteran anchors who object to partisan editorial meddling.
• OWNERSHIP: Managed strategically to please regulators and clear the way for massive corporate mergers,
The people must rebel and demand their representatives restore laws that protect the rights of people to a fair and accurate vetted NEWS. We must have the Constitution updated to represent the reality of modern times,
None of this is a surprise. The Ellisons don't need the CBS empire - many of us expected them to run it into the ground and to sell Hollywood to some foreign country - the Saudi's. And the end of Hollywood contracts that limit AI, animation and NIL.
Oracle on the other hand is doing very well with Federal contracts in many agencies as well as with Lebanon and Israel. And there is hope of opening the Iran market. They are in bed with Palantir and Musk at the cost of our deficit. Trump does want to destroy any honest news.
a civil, private conversation? NOT! Every interaction between corporate or religious interests that dare to claim that they have the best interests of the republic guiding them, and those that value without hesitation the principles and values we live with and are guided by each day, MUST be conducted openly and completely!!! Those that fear the truth always want “A CIVIL, PRIVATE CONVERSATION”. Thank you Elliot for standing strong with each and every piece you write🙏🏻
The gratuitous waste of talent and experience is galling. Do the new "leaders" not realize: we are all paying attention and can discern between integrity and white-wash. All of it is a liability and a vast waste.
Thank you, Elliot, for this edition of TtF. I'll keep it short, rather than ranting about CBS, Weiss, Ellison, et al. After CBS capitulated to Trump and cancelled Colbert, so many of us committed to leaving CBS and Paramount+. For those who were on the fence about that, or weren't ready to make that commitment, I'm betting that Weiss' ruination of 60 Minutes, including hiring Bilton, will be the death knell of the network. Pelley's statement in the meeting with Bilton is exactly what was needed to highlight the rot at the helm. Thank you for including his full statement. It's a model of integrity in journalism that - I hope - will be taught in J Schools starting now and for decades to come.
These people need to join forces and create their own INDEPENDENT NETWORK... follow Meidas, Legal AF, Aaron Parnas, BTC....
We need to regain our VOICE!
Is PBS a possibility?
This isn't a single personnel decision — it's a purge. Pelley is the fourth 60 Minutes reporter to leave the venerable newsmagazine since February, leaving just a trio — Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim — to handle assignments as the show prepares for its 59th season. The names removed tell the story: veteran executive producer Bill Owens resigned citing pressure on his journalistic independence. Then CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon resigned. Then correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, executive producer Tanya Simon, and correspondent Cecilia Vega were all let go. Now Scott Pelley — 51 Emmy Awards, over two decades at 60 Minutes — is gone. These are not underperformers being managed out. They are the institutional backbone of American broadcast journalism
So Sad and uncalled for!
Bravo, Scott Pelley!
Best of luck finding a new home for your expertise. Please let us former 60 Minutes watchers know where you are.
Great post! With Colbert gone and 60 Minutes gutted, CBS is finished for me. And for the majority of Americans. I hope the likes of Colbert and Pelley can get together on a new kind of platform that is not bidden to the billionaire class and a corrupt administration. The need and the technology is there.
Scott Pelley is a world-renowned journalist who knows how to speak truth to power in whichever medium he speaks. Independent media is filling the void as traditional media fades, and as Shakespeare wrote, "The truth will out." If Shakespeare were alive today, I believe he would write a play about journalists and the American scene. I'd prefer a comedy with a happy ending, but the humongous, bruised, orange hombre writes a story of a tragedy, with a fatally flawed central character.
It's hard to know what Shakespeare would write about America today, but I have been thinking about it lately. Trump has elements of Richard III, Lear, Macbeth, and Bottom, but he is not noble, brave, or truly humorous. He has multiple flaws but no redeeming features, so he is in no way a tragic hero. He is Lear without a noble past, Macbeth without bravery or mastery, relying on his own Wormtongue Lady Macbeth Stephen Miller for ambition. Perhaps he is the sound and fury signifying nothing.
its about damn time and this needs to be the norm...the only upside of this corporate fascism we are living under currently is in the end corporations speak one language only....money....the kimmel firing cancellations and unfiring prove that rather obvious point...corporations are bending to rump cuz its easier to they hoped it wouldnt last this long and are gonna cash in any time they can unless forced to behave differently....corporate media have no incentive to report the truths...the yare the ones who profit for many yeras off rump headlines and worse and ensure he got and remains in power...if they were ever going to do the right thing they would have...it is time to support big corporations conglomerates etc as little as possible and for decent people to forge new paths freer of corporate commercial fascist control....
I have watched "60 Minutes" since its inception when I was a teenager 58 years ago. I stopped watching it last January when tRump got his nose into it and started dictating what we would see. That's not "60 Minutes" anymore. Now there will no longer be the program itself with them firing all those that made it "60 Minutes" and people like Pelley and Anderson Cooper leaving. They may have trouble finding sponsors now.
Michael,
I agree, money is their only language, I canceled Paramount the day after the last Stephen Colbert Show, I hope many will boycott all CBS holdings and any advertisers that do choose to support them. , and don't hold any of their stock in retirement funds, ,
We need more Scott Pelley’s in Congress! I have been a faithful fan of 60 minutes from the first time it aired on TV. I regret to say that will no longer be the case.
I read about it yesterday & I stopped watching 60 Minutes, even though it is one of only a few shows I watched on CBS, which I try to avoid watching. My TV is primarily PBS, with occasional local news on local stations….
Bert Hill
I have been a follower of 60 for years, and look forward to every week’s broadcast. It is inconceivable that forces are now being unleashed against a news organization that over the years has brought brave and honest reporting. If this group can be cast aside, then we must be on guard for worst things to come. We must not give up. Tom Daily
I’ll be watching!
Bullies are weak, empty, unbalanced people. They have to be called out for the sake of the rest of us and for the institutions we value. Bravo Scott Pelley! Now if we could get Congress to do the same...
Thank you for this detailed truth. I remember Edward R Murrow, Walter Cronkite and 60 minutes . CBS was the gold standard for ethical accurate broadcast journalism. I grieve this loss.
This feels like a story as old as time, Rich and greedy extract the lifeblood from a civilization,
THE BREAKDOWN OF CBS NEWS INTEGRITY: A QUICK SUMMARY
===========================================
THE OLD CBS NEWS LEGACY:
===========================================
• ETHICAL RULES: Guided by a rigorous, 38-page independent ethical manual.
• GOVERNMENT: Stood up to federal intimidation (like Murrow vs. McCarthy).
• THE TALENT: Anchored by trusted industry titans like Walter Cronkite and Scott Pelley.
• OWNERSHIP: Maintained total editorial independence from corporate parent boards.
===========================================
THE NEW 2026 REALITY UNDER BARI WEISS:
===========================================
• ETHICAL RULES: Swapped the handbook for vague "5 Simple Values" critics call a cover for corporate compliance.
• GOVERNMENT: Accused of pulling or altering sensitive investigative packages under political pressure.
• THE TALENT: Slashes senior leadership and fires veteran anchors who object to partisan editorial meddling.
• OWNERSHIP: Managed strategically to please regulators and clear the way for massive corporate mergers,
The people must rebel and demand their representatives restore laws that protect the rights of people to a fair and accurate vetted NEWS. We must have the Constitution updated to represent the reality of modern times,
None of this is a surprise. The Ellisons don't need the CBS empire - many of us expected them to run it into the ground and to sell Hollywood to some foreign country - the Saudi's. And the end of Hollywood contracts that limit AI, animation and NIL.
Oracle on the other hand is doing very well with Federal contracts in many agencies as well as with Lebanon and Israel. And there is hope of opening the Iran market. They are in bed with Palantir and Musk at the cost of our deficit. Trump does want to destroy any honest news.
a civil, private conversation? NOT! Every interaction between corporate or religious interests that dare to claim that they have the best interests of the republic guiding them, and those that value without hesitation the principles and values we live with and are guided by each day, MUST be conducted openly and completely!!! Those that fear the truth always want “A CIVIL, PRIVATE CONVERSATION”. Thank you Elliot for standing strong with each and every piece you write🙏🏻
The gratuitous waste of talent and experience is galling. Do the new "leaders" not realize: we are all paying attention and can discern between integrity and white-wash. All of it is a liability and a vast waste.