Scott Pelley Alleges '60 Minutes' Bias Orders After Firing by New Producer Nick Bilton
Updated
Updated · Variety · Jun 6
Scott Pelley Alleges '60 Minutes' Bias Orders After Firing by New Producer Nick Bilton
3 articles · Updated · Variety · Jun 6
Summary
Scott Pelley said new "60 Minutes" management instructed him to add falsehoods and unverified claims to a politically sensitive story, hours after CBS terminated his employment effective immediately.
In a letter responding to Nick Bilton, Pelley also said politicians had been invited to choose correspondents for interviews — a practice he said violated the show's standards.
The firing followed a May 25 staff meeting in which Pelley reportedly told Bilton he had "slender qualifications" to lead the program and accused CBS News chief Bari Weiss of "murdering" the show.
Bilton, installed after Weiss ousted longtime executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, wrote that Pelley had shown clear hostility to the show's future.
"60 Minutes" has faced mounting scrutiny since Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison elevated Weiss at CBS News, with critics accusing the new leadership of pushing political bias into the broadcast.