Fired 60 Minutes correspondent Vega: changes at CBS News are painful to watch
Cecilia Vega, a correspondent dismissed in May from the US TV newsmagazine 60 Minutes, has criticised its overhaul and repeated claims she was told to include untrue information in her work. CBS News denies the allegations.
Cecilia Vega, a former correspondent on the US television newsmagazine 60 Minutes, said on Thursday evening at American University in Washington DC that it hurts her to see what has happened to the programme and other parts of the CBS News network. She repeated her claim that she was told to put "factually untrue" information into a piece. Vega was fired in May during an overhaul led by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
Dismissal without explanation
Weiss appointed tech journalist Nick Bilton as the show's executive producer. Vega's contract ran until March 2027. She said she still does not know why she was let go: no reason was given, and she was fired without cause.
CBS News also parted ways with correspondent Scott Pelley "for cause" after he clashed with Bilton, and did not renew correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi's contract. Previous executive producer Tanya Simon and several other senior producers were dismissed too.
Ratings
The overhaul came even though the show's 58th season averaged 9.1 million viewers, up 9% on the season before. Ratings are lower this season: the latest episode drew 5.64 million viewers, the smallest audience this century for the sixth episode of a season. Weiss told an industry conference on Wednesday that she is not focused on ratings but on building the network.
Claims of political influence
Vega maintains that newsroom managers tried to insert political bias into her stories, and that she resisted. She said she could not ascribe a motive. CBS News rejects the claims, saying they are not based in reality. On Wednesday, at a panel discussion, Pelley asserted there was pressure to steer coverage toward the viewpoint of President Donald Trump's administration.
Vega voiced concern about job security and editorial independence, since CBS owner Skydance, led by David Ellison, now also owns CNN and the two networks could merge. The 49-year-old said she does not know whether she will join another legacy outlet or work independently.
