Scott Pelley Details How War Over Trump Led to ’60 Minutes’ Getting ‘Gutted’

Martin Holmes October 29, 2026, 9:40 am

What To Know

Former 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley alleged that CBS leadership pressured journalists to favor President Trump.
Pelley said staff resistance to the corporate influence contributed to the “gutting” of 60 Minutes.
CBS News fired Pelley after a heated staff meeting where he criticized leadership.

Ousted 60 Minutes reporter Scott Pelley claimed that his former CBS Bosses wanted to move the network’s coverage “in the direction of the president,” putting a “thumb on the scale” in favor of Donald Trump.

The veteran journalist shared his views during a panel discussion hosted by Speak Up for Justice on Wednesday (October 28), according to The Huffington Post. Pelley claimed that leadership wanted its reporters to reshape their coverage of the Trump administration.

“In my experience, and having talked to my colleagues as well, there was an imperative to move our coverage in the direction of the president,” he said. “To put a thumb on the scale, if you will, in terms of the president’s viewpoint.”

Pelley, who was fired from 60 Minutes in June, said he’d never seen corporate interference on that scale in his career. “This was corporate influence coming into the news division saying, ‘We want you to report stories with this particular bent, in terms of politics,'” he shared.

“It was anathema to all of us who had worked at 60 Minutes for so many years, and we fought the battle against it,” Pelley added. “We pushed back against it and that led to last year – the complete gutting of 60 Minutes.'”

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Earlier this year, CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss fired 60 Minutes producers Draggan Mihailovich and Tanya Simon, as well as correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi. The firings drew backlash both inside and outside CBS News, including from Pelley, who aired his grievances during a heated staff meeting.

Pelley confronted newly hired 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton and told him he had “slender qualifications” for the job. He also blasted Weiss’ takeover of CBS News, claiming that she’s “murdering 60 Minutes.” Pelley was subsequently terminated “for cause, effective immediately.”

60 Minutes returned last month with a mix of returning reporters and new hires. However, the behind-the-scenes turmoil persists, with recent reports of a clash between veteran reporter Lesley Stahl and Weiss over a segment about extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank.