Scott Pelley, the former “60 Minutes” correspondent fired by CBS News after an outburst in a meeting last week, accused the network’s new top editors of “incompetence” and “inexperience” in a scathing new interview published by the New York Times on Sunday, and even suggested notes from editor-in-chief Bari Weiss amounted to putting “a thumb on the scale for the president’s version of events” when covering the protests and shootings in Minneapolis earlier this year.
The veteran former “60 Minutes” correspondent accused his former employer of appearing to put a “thumb on the scale” for the White House during production of a piece about protests in Minneapolis.
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Pelley, a veteran correspondent who first joined CBS News in 1989, said he was not initially expecting to get fired, until a followup meeting with CBS News president and executive editor Tom Cibrowski, who called his outburst a “firing offense.”
Pelley accused Weiss of “interference” after she asked “60 Minutes” to make changes to a February broadcast about the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, claiming the top CBS News editor reached out hours after the program’s deadline because she wanted the story to “make the protesters look more violent” and describe Good as driving “towards” the officer who shot her, which Pelley noted was misleading yet in line with President Donald Trump’s stated view.
Pelley said his team had already included footage of protesters “acting aggressively” and footage of Alex Pretti, the other protester killed in Minneapolis’ immigration enforcement-related protests, kicking a police car.
Pelley said he did not follow Weiss’ instructions and did not receive any feedback or retaliation after the broadcast, but still slammed Weiss for sending the notes last minute: “You don’t break a deadline. That episode came within 19 minutes of not making it to air.”
When asked if he thought Weiss should be removed from her role, Pelley answered, “oh, gosh, yes,” calling her a “lovely person” but insisting “television’s not her thing.”
“I need to be a little bit careful here because I don’t want to be hyperbolic,” Pelley said when asked why he thought Weiss asked for changes to the Minneapolis broadcast. “My impression at the time was that she was putting a thumb on the scale on behalf of the administration. Constantly looking out for the views of the president. We’re reporting those views. There’s nothing wrong with reporting those views, but it was never enough.” CBS has disputed Pelley’s interpretation of the events, with a spokesperson telling the Times there is “no credible argument to suggest Ms. Weiss was ‘putting a thumb on the scale on behalf of the administration’ in any instance over the past seven months.”
Pelley said he felt “shock” and “dismay” after the abrupt firing of former executive producer Tanya Simon last month, the first woman to serve as the longrunning newsmagazine’s executive producer—especially after the show saw record growth in viewership and astronomical growth on social media, according to owner Paramount’s own metrics published weeks earlier.
David Ellison, the son of billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison, bought Paramount from Shari Redstone in a deal that was finally approved last summer. As part of the takeover, Ellison installed Weiss, a former New York Times opinion journalist and founder of the new media startup The Free Press, as the network’s editor-in-chief. Pelley said he thought the sale was “necessary” and praised Ellison’s early vision for the network. “Mr. Ellison came in with a lot of money, a young man of vision, and I thought this was going to be very good for all of us.” Pelley also blasted the previous owners of Paramount over their settlement terms to resolve a lawsuit Trump brought over coverage on “60 Minutes,” calling the multi-million dollar payout they agreed to a “bribe to the president to settle this frivolous, ridiculous lawsuit.” Pelley said he was “concerned” about Weiss’ lack of experience in broadcast television when she was tapped to take over leadership of the network, but also said he wanted to give her a chance at the job. “Those were red flags to me, but I thought, David Ellison thinks she’s the right person for the job,” Pelley said. “We are absolutely going to welcome her, listen to her, and give her the benefit of the doubt.”
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