Scott Pelley on His Firing and the ‘Massacre’ at ’60 Minutes’

Scott Pelley, the longtime anchor of 60 Minutes, delivers a searing account of his firing after 37 years at CBS, describing the sudden purge of senior staff as a 'massacre' and likening the emotional toll to the murder of a spouse. He recounts how, just days after a triumphant season with record-breaking viewership and two Emmy wins, he and 60 Minutes' entire leadership were abruptly dismissed—without explanation—by new CBS News chief Barry Weiss, a former New York Times opinion writer with no television experience. Pelley alleges that Weiss interfered in a story about protests in Minneapolis, demanding edits that contradicted video evidence and pushed a narrative favorable to the administration, a move he calls a 'thumb on the scale' that broke journalistic integrity. He argues that the real issue isn't political bias but incompetence: a leadership team that didn’t understand broadcast news, missed deadlines, and treated veteran journalists with callous disregard. Despite Weiss’s recent promises of editorial independence, Pelley says trust is shattered. He calls for 'adult supervision' at CBS, warning that the institution—once a beacon of fearless journalism—is now on fire due to inexperience and ideological overreach. Pelley’s story is not isolated: fellow correspondents Anderson Cooper and Cecilia Vega have also left, and multiple journalists have echoed claims of editorial interference.