CBS Evening News the host Tony Dokoupil he paid tribute to the spirit of Scott Pelley following the questionable shooting of his colleague 60 Minutes.
“When I started at CBS, Scott Pelley was in this chair, and he was doing twelve stories a year 60 Minutes. And in the middle of all that, I still meet all the new journalists to share his opinion about the mission here,” said Dokoupil, 45, told viewers in the second half of the two. CBS Evening News parts of Pelley's shooting on Wednesday, June 3.”[Pelley] he believed in freedom of the press, quote [James Madison]'it was a right that guaranteed all others.' And the stakes are always high with that, if you made it to CBS News, you were among the best in the world. He worked every day to get to that level.”
Dokoupil looked back on Pelley's 37 years at CBS, recalling “presidential conversations” with every leader who appeared. George W. Bush to Donald Trump and “over 50 Emmy Awards along the way.”
“[Pelley] he was, in some ways, a man from another era, and that's not a knock. He didn't watch the competition, he said, because he knew who he was,” continued Dokoupil.” A journalist who valued the truth in all ways. And always live the memory of his comrades who were killed in the field. A reminder that his chosen line of work can be dangerous. But Pelley also made a big break from the past. He changed the signs here. Less than- CBS Evening News logo, where Scott Pelley's name could have been, he wrote this instead CBS Evening News and All of Us.”
Tony Dokoupil in September 2024.
Dipasupil/Getty ImagesDokoupil closed the segment by saying, “Well, Scott, to all of us, thank you.”
A brilliant tribute to Pelley, 68 – who took part CBS Evening News from 2011 to 2017 — was in stark contrast to other CBS News statements after Pelley's firing earlier this week.
A tumultuous week at CBS News began on 60 Minutes staff meeting where the new executive producer Nick Bilton he introduced himself to his team on Monday, June 1. According to multiple reports, Pelley disputed Bilton's qualifications during the meeting and blamed the CBS editor-in-chief. Barry Weiss “to kill” 60 Minutes by including political bias.
A leaked memo from Bilton, 49, announced that Pelley was fired the next day. In that memo, Bilton wrote to Pelley that “his distaste for the future of the show came through loud and clear.”
“I am therefore writing to CBS News, Inc. to inform you that your employment with CBS has been terminated effective immediately,” Bilton confirmed.
After his firing, Pelley broke his silence by accusing CBS executives of setting aside the legacy of the news organization “to curry favor with the Trump administration.” (Skydance Media, led by a Trump ally David Ellisonthe son of a millionaire Larry Ellisonbought CBS parent company Paramount last year.)
Tensions are high at CBS after the firing of 60 Minutes reporter Scott Pelley. “The behavior is bad for the entire company,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “Nobody knows what to believe or anyone who opposes him. It's never been like this before. The staff in the newsroom all feel like they are. […]
“On my part, the new administration ordered me to put lies and bias in a politically sensitive matter. I was told to put unverified statements,” said Pelley. “Until now, in every case, I have been able to ignore these orders or refuse. Recently, politicians have been invited to choose people to talk to on the radio. Giving politicians control 60 Minutes negotiations are not how this is done. Ultimately, the incompetence and lack of professionalism in the new administration caused havoc. In an issue involving one of my stories, the entire program came within 19 minutes without going on air at all.”
He went on to say, “Ku 60 Minuteswe fought harder than anyone knows to preserve the system that became America's symbol. We owe that to our millions of viewers. I am deeply touched by the thousands of wishes we have received to 'keep up the good fight.' ” Pelley wrote: “Most of the men and women of CBS News are still in that fight. But now the price collapse at the top is no longer acceptable. The leadership of 60 Minutes is no longer visible. The values I respect are gone, so I have to go too.”
CBS News has denied that reporters face political pressure for sensitive stories from the Trump administration.
