Anyone who’s sensed a rightward shift at CBS News may be onto something.
During a panel discussion hosted by Speak Up For Justice on Wednesday, veteran journalist Scott Pelley said network leadership directed journalists to shape their coverage to favor President Donald Trump and his administration.
“In my experience, and having talked to my colleagues as well, there was an imperative to move our coverage in the direction of the president. To put a thumb on the scale, if you will, in terms of the president’s viewpoint,” Pelley said.
Nearly five months after being fired from his longtime post at “60 Minutes,” Pelley said the corporate influence he witnessed at CBS News was unlike anything he’d seen during his entire career.
”This was corporate influence coming into the news division saying, ‘We want you to report stories with this particular bent, in terms of politics,” Pelley said. “It was anathema to all of us who had worked at ‘60 Minutes’ for so many years, and we fought the battle against it. We pushed back against it and that led to last year – the complete gutting of ‘60 Minutes.’”
Although Pelley did not mention any leaders by name, his firing occurred after an explosive “60 Minutes” staff meeting in which he accused CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the esteemed news magazine.
“She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that,” Pelley said in June of Weiss, a former opinion columnist and founder of the “anti-woke” outlet The Free Press. She was tapped to helm CBS News after parent company Paramount was acquired by Skydance in 2025.
“60 Minutes” has seen an exodus of talent during Weiss’ tenure. Pelley’s confrontation with leadership was partly a response to the departures of “60 Minutes” correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, who were reportedly forced out after months of friction with Weiss and her hand-picked executive producer, Nick Bilton. Around the same time, veteran producers Tanya Simon and Draggan Mihailovich also left the show over reported editorial disputes.
Although veteran journalist Anderson Cooper cited his desire to spend more time with family when he left “60 Minutes” in May, he also seemed to hint at behind-the-scenes turmoil during his final broadcast.
“I think the independence of ‘60 Minutes’ has been critical,” Cooper told viewers before signing off for the last time. “I think also the variety of stories. And I think the trust it has with viewers is critical to the success of ‘60 Minutes.’”