A year ago I wrote, after Scott Pelley gave a full-Trump Deranged commencement speech at Wake Forest,
“Scott Pelley has long been the most openly biased and partisan of the ’60 Minutes’ team (well, he and Leslie Stahl), and his speech is an instant “It isn’t what it is” classic. His arrogance and fury reveals a destructive, untrustworthy profession beginning to realize that the jig is truly up: they have betrayed their nation and its ideals, and nearly everyone knows it, or as President Trump so wisely observed, our journalists are indeed ‘enemies of the people.’ It is rumored that Pelley is likely to be dumped at CBS: Good.”
Well, it took a year and a turnover in management, but Pelley is finally out. The speech is fun to look back on today, because the pompous Pelley intoned, “America works well when we listen to those with whom we disagree and when we listen and when we have common ground and we compromise….To move forward, we debate, not demonize. We discuss, not destroy.” Yet when a new regime led by New York Times refugee Bari Weiss began the task of reforming the rotten “60 Minutes” Democratic propaganda machine that had embarrassed the network by editing Kamala Harris’s interview a week before the 2024 election to make her seem (sort-of) coherent—not an easy task—Pelley was no longer interested in listening, discussing, or compromising. He was determined to demonize. In a meeting called by Nick Bilton, the new executive producer of “60 Minutes,” Pelley accused Bilton’s boss, Weiss, of “murdering” the iconic Sunday news program. “She was brought in to kill it, and she’s been doing exactly that,” he said, adding, “She has no qualifications for her job; you have slender qualifications for this job. The changes that she’s made at the ‘Evening News’ have been catastrophic, so why should we expect that any of this is going to be any better?”
He went on to mock Bilton’s assurances that he cared about the program. If Pelley had been trying to get fired, he could have hardly done a better job. And sure enough, he got his wish, as Bilton delivered the following “Bye-bye!” letter in short order:
Ethics Alarms 
I have never heard his speech at Wake Forest until yesterday. He sounded like an angry old twit. I can’t believe that is what he decided to say to a massive crowd. What a human disappointment.
That’s a good description. And he is now the face of the arrogant and angry US journalistic establishment, shaking their fists at the sky because their lies and “fake news” aren’t being automatically being accepted any more.
Scott Pelley basically did what Johnny Paycheck is singing about. He stood up against management, knowing that his defiance would get him fired. He stood tall and can look at himself in the mirror with pride for saying the things he wanted to say and accepting the consequences. Better to go out in a blaze of glory than quietly in a bed.
I am going to skip over this political biases, and his understanding of proper journalism, as I am not a fan of the yellow dog journalism of the legacy media; any further commenting from me on that is like beating a dead horse.
But Paycheck’s song is about abused and under-appreciated blue-collar workers. Scott Pelley made millions of dollars a year at CBS, and is allegedly a professional. He also claimed to believe in reasoned, civil discourse. There is nothing courageous about ambushing a new member of the management team and insulting management with the whole staff present, or in telling tyhe boss to “shove it” when you have millions in the bank.
I confess that I have not watched “60 Minutes” or any network program for years. When I am away from home, staying at a hotel I channel surf the network. I stop, after lulling myself to sleepiness, having reinforced by disdain for their output.
But that letter of dismissal was welldone, except for his misuse of the word “despite.”
That is just about the harshest form of firing an organization gives in any situation. Many times, the boss (or HR) will euphemize what really took place and use softer language to offer some protection to the employee.
There is none of that here. Mr. Bilton is giving Pelley no quarter, no grace, no mercy…nothing. And traditionally, “termination for cause” is something that follows you. When interviewing at subsequent jobs, that is both a black mark and a huge red flag.
Fortunately for Pelley, CNN and MSNBC are around and each is more decrepit than CBS, and one (or both) will likely come calling. He’ll probably have another platform by which to broadcast his mind-rot within a month.
Or retreat to his own podcast, or substack. He’s almost 70.
Sure and there are plenty of people who want to read and hear the rants of a man who will accuse CBS of caving to Trump and putting his minion in charge in order to spread right-wing propaganda.
I suspect Pelley will land a cushy gig at MSNOW along side Rachel where they can decry the country’s descent into Trumpian pure evil. See, he and those of his ilk truly believe they are saving the country from those stupid, uneducated, unwashed masses. If they would only see the error of their ways, they would come to realize that they, too, can be saved from themselves.
jvb
I also found the “for cause” remarkable. There was no “We have decided to go in a different direction and we wish Scott well as he spends more time with his family.”
Exactly, OB. The language you posted is what we read all the time, even for people that know with almost 100% certainty were fired for cause.
Bilton wanted there to be absolutely no ambiguity.
“And traditionally, ‘termination for cause’ is something that follows you.”
What traditionally doesn’t follow you are otherwise contractually obligatory monetary compensation and (sometimes) employee-sponsored/contributed retirement benefits.
IMO, Pelley was a smugly sanctimonious d!ck, and like my Dear late Father might’ve said: “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”
PWS
Good point, Paul. I hadn’t even considered that possibility. There’s a chance that Pelley’s outrage cost him a bundle of money.
Scott Pelley has plenty of options. He is 68 years old and has probably more than enough money to retire. The very definition of “f..k you” money is that you have so much money that you do not have to work for an income, and are in a position to tell your boss “f..k you”. I suspect that Pelley wants to be remembered for the way he decided to blow up his professional relationship with CBS, and praised for his heroism by standing up to CBS.
And he might join MS NOW according to People.
Scott Pelley is one of the top smug liberals in the media. His claiming to be in combat and all the rest is absurd. He could’ve chosen different words to express the idea, but he wanted to get some stolen valor.
He was also propped up by a corrupt and biased media. In a different time, someone like him never would’ve been in charge of anything because of how inept he is. I say good riddance to the man who couldn’t control his face when Trump won.
I’ll see you a Scott Pelley and raise you a Jim Acosta, Josh:
Acosta: Pelley Firing Part Of “An Ideological And Partisan Political Project” To Create State TV In Support Of Trump | Video | RealClearPolitics
Hilarious, his telling Bari Weiss to look in the mirror. Scott, maybe you should give that a try.
As should Jim Acosta.
He’s definitely up there. He could be just as smug. I suppose I saw Pelley more than him.
There’s a saying among the Woke, something like “When you’re accustomed to privilege, fairness feels like oppression.” Well, that cuts both ways, doesn’t it?
Lathechuck
Thank you Lathechuck. I was trying to find a way to make that point. That also applies to their Fascism mantra. When you’re accustomed to a free-for-all, simple enforcement of the law feels like tyranny.
As for Pelley, so much good analysis. I am personally thrilled at the Bilton dismissal letter. Dignified, articulate, precise. I probably would have called Pelley an arrogant prick.