Licensed 60 minutes Anchor Scott Pelley said that under the leadership of CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, it was “imperative” to “put our thumb on the scale” when it came to covering the Trump administration.
Pelley, who was fired from the network in June, blasted his former employer Wednesday while participating in a panel on truth and corporate power in journalism, hosted by the group Speak Up for Justice.
“It was imperative to orient our media coverage toward the president in order to put a thumb on the scale, if you will, in terms of the president’s point of view,” he said. “I worked at CBS News for almost 40 years and 60 minutes Almost 30 years and I had never seen anything like it. »
“It was a corporate influence that manifested itself in the news division saying, ‘We want you to report stories with this particular bent, in terms of policy,’” Pelley told the panel. “We opposed it and it led last year to the complete gutting of 60 minutes in which, one morning, without warning, or even today without explanation.”
The Independent has contacted CBS News for comment.
Scott Pelley said it was “imperative” to “put his thumb on the scale” under Bari Weiss when covering the Trump administration. The veteran 60 Minutes anchor spoke on a panel on truth and corporate power in journalism (AFP/Getty)
Pelley was fired from CBS in early June after accusing Weiss of destroying the program. “She’s killing 60 minutes. She doesn’t like this place. She was brought in to kill him, and that’s exactly what she did,” Pelley said during a heated staff meeting, according to an audio recording obtained by The New York Times.
Weiss, the founder of the “anti-woke” digital media outlet The Free Press, joined CBS News a year ago following Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount. Since then, her editorial decisions have come under scrutiny and critics have accused her of shaping media coverage in favor of the Trump administration.
Weiss has already rebuffed this accusation. “What we call ‘editorial interference’ is actually the job description of an editor,” she said. The Wall Street Journal in June.
But after a year at the helm, ratings are plummeting and insiders say no one can criticize Weiss.
Pelley was fired after accusing Weiss of destroying the program. “She’s killing 60 Minutes. She doesn’t like this place. She was brought in to kill him,” he said (Getty)
“She doesn’t hear anyone. If you don’t agree with what she says or does, it doesn’t matter. She pretends to hear ideas, but in reality, she doesn’t listen to anyone,” said an anonymous source. Page six.
“No one can say, ‘That’s a bad idea.’ She looks at you and says, ‘You don’t agree with what I’m saying,’ but no one joins her,” the source added.
But another source was more positive about Weiss. “I think most senior leaders in the organization think she brings a lot of value with her ideas and perspective, and would also say she is a great listener, who incorporates many other ideas and suggestions into the organization’s work,” one source said. Page six.
Rachel Dobkin contributed to this report
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