Writers Guild President Slams CBS News Over Scott Pelley's '60 Minutes' Firing
In light of Scott Pelley's recent firing from 60 Minutes, Writers Guild of America East president Tom Fontana wrote a response statement. In it, he argued that the firing shows "profound contempt for the journalism profession."
"Like many of you, I have been alarmed by recent developments at CBS News. In the past year, CBS has enacted cruel and needless layoffs across the organization and shuttered CBS News Radio," Fontana wrote. "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."
Fontana said that with the firing of Pelley, "CBS management is apparently too thin-skinned to handle the honest scrutiny of their own journalists."
Fontana's statement continued, saying that he stands with his friends and colleagues at CBS News.
"We see you, and you are not alone," Fontana wrote. "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."
Pelley was fired after he butted heads with Nick Bilton, the show's new executive producer. He told him that he had "slender" qualifications for the show. Pelley also criticized Bari Weiss, the network's editor-in-chief, saying that she was "murdering" the show. This culminated in Bilton claiming that Pelley isn't interested in "a path forward together."
"Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear," Bilton said in the termination letter to Pelley.
On Tuesday night, Pelley issued a statement responding to his firing. He said that 60 Minutes "lost its DNA" when senior leadership and two on-air correspondents "were cruelly fired without cause."
"Good people were silenced because they stood up for our audience," Pelley said. "They stood for fairness against the forces of political bias; they stood for professionalism against chaos."
Read Pelley's full statement here.
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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 4:27 PM.