The president of the Writers Guild of America, East weighed in on the firing of 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley and others at the newsmagazine, arguing that the moves show that top brass show “profound contempt for the journalism profession.”
Tom Fontana wrote in a letter to members, “In the past year, CBS has enacted cruel and needless layoffs across the organization and shuttered CBS News Radio. In addition, based on a string of public reporting and confidential reports from WGAE members, it is clear that CBS brass is engaged in a near-constant level of editorial interference that would have previously been unthinkable.”
Citing the firing of Pelley, which came after he had a verbal confrontation with the new 60 Minutes executive producer, Fontana wrote that “CBS management is apparently too thin-skinned to handle the honest scrutiny of their own journalists.”
“These assaults on CBS News, an institution of American journalism for nearly a century, are more than mere ideological interference with the news,” Fontana wrote. “They display a profound contempt for the journalism profession, for our members who have dedicated their lives to informing the public about the world, and for the ethics that underpin true journalism, chief among them honesty, integrity, and objectivity.”
WGAE membership includes CBS News staffers. The guild has previously criticized network layoffs, the closure of CBS News Radio and the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s late-night show, among other recent moves of the network.
“To our friends and colleagues at CBS News: we see you, and you are not alone. Thousands of your union brothers, sisters, and siblings have your backs. We stand shoulder to shoulder with you now, we will be there with you when this difficult time in American life passes, and we will help you build what comes next,” Fontana wrote.
A CBS News spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
Pelley was fired on Tuesday evening, ending a 37-year tenure at the network that included a long run as 60 Minutes correspondent and a stint as anchor of the CBS Evening News. Last week, CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss ousted 60 Minutes executive producer Tanya Simon, replacing her with tech journalist Nick Bilton. Also fired were other top producers of the show, as well as correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.
