Emotional Scott Pelley: ‘On fire’ CBS News wanted pro-Trump slant, compares firing to murdered spouse

In a candid and highly emotional interview with The New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast, veteran journalist Scott Pelley opened up about his sudden departure from CBS. The 78-year-old was fired from the network just days after a high-stakes standoff with leadership, an experience he described as being as traumatic as losing a spouse to murder.

A Network in Crisis

Pelley’s dismissal followed a heated staff meeting where he clashed with CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and “60 Minutes” executive producer Nick Bilton. The journalist, who had previously accused network bosses of being dishonest, did not mince words regarding his former colleagues, claiming that Weiss was effectively “murdering” the iconic program.

“There’s some moments of the day I feel fine. There’s some moments of the day that I just, frankly, fall apart, when I least expect it,” Pelley said of the firing.

Allegations of Political Bias

At the heart of the dispute was an editorial clash over a “60 Minutes” segment covering immigration enforcement protests in Minnesota. Pelley alleged that Weiss pushed for a pro-Trump narrative, specifically requesting changes to portray protesters as more violent and to shift the framing surrounding the death of Renee Good, who was killed during the incident.

“We need adult supervision and at the moment we don’t have it,” Pelley told the Times. “There’s a subtle political bias that I’ve never seen at ’60 Minutes’ before, or at CBS News before. So that is my hope: a return to sanity. ... We can save this. It’s possible to land this plane. But right now, CBS News is on fire.”

CBS Responds

In response to the accusations, CBS News denied any wrongdoing. The network maintained in a statement that the editorial notes provided by Weiss were standard procedure, intended to ensure accuracy and fairness. “They had no political motivation and were proposed solely to make the piece as strong, fair, and accurate as possible,” the statement read. “As is frequently the case in any newsroom that operates with collaboration, not everything she raised made it into the final piece.”