Scott Pelley: Great American Patriot

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Donald Trump is a creature of the media, and, as such, he tends to wallow in right-wing news and social media sites that have the good sense to continuously praise and glorify him.  Other news sources, however, such as those which strive for accuracy in reporting, are far less likely to meet with Trump's approval.  Two groups of media personalities which seem to rankle Trump beyond measure are mainstream reporters for the major broadcast networks ,and the late-night comedians of those same networks.

Trump is also a creature fueled by retribution, and a major focus of his presidency has been to focus on using the powers of his office to settle scores.  He is quick to threaten the major broadcast sources with lawsuits and pulling their broadcast licenses through his ultimate control of the licensing authority - the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) whose members are appointed by the President.  Trump also exerts pressure over the major networks through his personal relationships with some of the billionaire oligarchs who control those news outlets.

Donald Trump had nursed a personal grievance against the CBS network for the past couple of years and even lodged a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the corporation over the way the news program 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris in 2024.  Last fall CBS was acquired by tech billionaire Larry Ellison, a political ally of Trump and a man who has other business pending approval from the government which Trump runs.  Ellison has a strongly vested interest in playing nice with Trump, stroking his fragile ego, and bringing the hammer down on two of Trump's perceived enemies:   CBS News and its flagship news program, 60 Minutes.

One of Ellison's early acts after acquiring control of CBS late last fall was to bring in an outsider to run CBS News and soften its approach toward Trump.  Ellison chose Bari Weiss, a 42-year-old op-ed writer without executive experience to be the  CBS News editor-in-chief and to get 60 Minutes, as some might see it, "under control."

Weiss wasted no time placing her stamp on the program's operation and was actively reining-in reporters before she even got her office unpacked.  In December actor George Clooney, the man who recently portrayed CBS News icon Edward R. Murrow on Broadway, noted that Weiss was already "actively dismantling" CBS.  Then last Thursday things at the network seemed to hit a crescendo when Weiss fired the executive producer and two senior reporters from 60 Minutes.

Monday there was a meeting at CBS News between Nick Bilton, a former documentary filmmaker and tech writer whom Weiss had just appointed as the new executive producer of 60 Minutes, and senior staff from the program.  Bari Weiss chose not to attend the meeting.  Bilton, who seemed to think he was stepping into some sort of polite "meet and greet" was quickly disabused of that notion when the staff began lobbing questions and accusations toward him.  Scott Pelley, the senior reporter and a person who had been the face of CBS Evening News for several years, led the charge.

Bilton tried to assure the riled news staff that Bari Weiss had not been brought in to destroy CBS News or 60 Minutes, and that she "loves this place," but the staff, and particularly Scott Pelley, were not having it.  Pelley fired back:  "She does not love this place.  She was brought in to kill it, and she is doing exactly that."  Pelley went on to accuse Bari Weiss of "murdering" 60 Minutes.  He told Bilton that Bari Weiss had no qualifications for her job, and that his (Bilton's) qualifications were "slender."

After Nick Bilton left the meeting, Scott Pelley's co-workers gave him a standing round of applause.

That was Monday.   This morning (Wednesday) Scott Pelley has been fired, another head has rolled at CBS.  

In his letter of termination to Pelley, Nick Bilton cited Pelley's "remarkable incivility and contempt" and his "performative hostility."

Today the "free" press that built America is a little less free.   Donald Trump has gotta be loving that.

Thank you, Scott Pelley, for speaking truth to power at great personal sacrifice to yourself and your career, and for standing tall for the guarantees and promise of the Constitution and the United States of America.   Edward R. Murrow would have been proud to have worked with you.  Salute!

CBS News, goodnight and good luck.  You're going to need it - and so will the rest of the country.