Veteran journalist Scott Pelley, fired from CBS News on Tuesday, has accused the network's new management of instructing him to inject falsehoods and bias into his reporting. In a statement shared on social media, the former 60 Minutes correspondent claimed that executives pushed unverified assertions and allowed politicians to choose interviewers.
Pelley criticised the network's leadership, stating that 'new management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story' and that he had been 'told to include assertions that are unverified'. He also alleged that 'politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast', which he said was not how 60 Minutes operated.
The journalist's dismissal followed a series of firings at CBS News last week, including the executive producer, executive editor and two correspondents. Pelley described the changes as 'casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favour with the Trump administration'.
CBS News editor Bari Weiss addressed Pelley's termination on a morning call, saying that the network had attempted to find a way back but that Pelley chose to part ways. Pelley later contested this, stating that 'at no point did anyone in the Tuesday meeting suggest there could be steps taken by either side that would lead to a resolution'.
Pelley, who worked at CBS for 37 years, concluded his statement by expressing gratitude for his colleagues and hoping for a return to 'sanity, competence, and courage'. CBS News has not responded to requests for comment.
