Dozens of former CBS News staffers, including many veterans of 60 Minutes, have written to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison urging him to commit to the programme’s editorial independence. The letter follows the dismissal of several top staff and correspondents last Thursday, including executive producer, executive editor, and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.
Alfonsi and Vega issued statements alleging that the show’s editorial independence had been compromised for political purposes. The signatories, including former 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman and former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather, emphasised that institutional trust is not transferred through ownership and that modernisation must not come at the cost of editorial integrity.
The letter calls on Ellison to send a clear message that he respects editorial independence and press freedom. It warns that the wholesale dismissal of editorial management, without a public pledge to maintain the programme’s values, puts the legacy of 60 Minutes in jeopardy.
Earlier on Monday, veteran correspondent Scott Pelley, who was not affected by the cuts, strongly criticised the network’s decision-making, accusing CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the show. The new executive producer, Nick Bilton, was installed to lead the programme.
