"What would Scott Pelley do?" That's the question all reporters should be asking.
The 60 Minutes veteran got himself fired for standing up against the hostile takeover his show and the wider assault on the First Amendment.
Yesterday, CBS journalist Scott Pelley did the brave thing. But he also shined a light on the not-so-brave folks in his profession.
Before I begin, let me announce that — starting today — we’ll be including the DEFIANCE WATCHLIST at the bottom of our morning newsletters, which includes the most important stories we are tracking and an “act of defiance” we are highlighting. Alright, onto the story of the day…
On Tuesday evening CBS fired Pelley “for cause,” one day after he stood up in a staff meeting and accused the network’s new leadership of gutting the institution he’d served for thirty-seven years. The new bosses arrived with the Paramount takeover (a deal that needed the Trump administration’s blessing) and installed Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief. Last month, 60 Minutes lost its entire senior leadership and two of its best correspondents, fired, as Pelley put it, without cause.
Pelley didn’t hold back. He said management had instructed him to inject falsehoods into a politically sensitive story and had begun inviting politicians to choose which correspondents they wanted to interview them. He refused to go along with the corrupt chumminess. For that, he got a letter informing him that his “antipathy to the future of the show” had come through “loud and clear.” And he was fired.
Pelley responded with a statement that doesn’t read so much as bitterness as it does grief. For his program and his industry.
“The collapse of values at the top has become untenable,” he wrote. “The principles I hold dear are gone, and so I must leave as well.”
He closed by praying for a day when “sanity, competence, and courage return.” Read the full statement below.
Pelley had every reason to stay quiet, if he’d wanted to.
He’d been at 60 Minutes since 1989 (longer than half of all Americans have been alive). Under the new CBS regime, there was talk of expanding the 60 Minutes franchise because it was their crown jewel. Surely, riches and legacy awaited whoever was ready to take the program in its new direction, as long as they were willing to comply with the new editorial standards, i.e. showing favor toward the Trump regime. Pelley knew exactly how speaking up would end. But he did it anyway. He didn’t seem to like the deal on the table, which to all appearances was the “oldest deal” there is in a hostile workplace. Keep your mouth shut… keep your job.
He decided his job wasn’t worth his soul.
I’ve had the privilege of working with Scott Pelley, including on a story about Havana Syndrome, which was one of the hardest things I’ve ever spoken about publicly. I wrestled with it for almost four years and decided only to speak out because of my confidence in Pelley and his team, namely that their focus was on finding the truth, finding the culprits, and finding justice for the victims. He was exactly what his colleagues say he is. The best in the business. So I’m not a neutral party here.
But in my experience, there are two categories of journalists on the national scene right now.
There are Scott Pelleys. And then there are the people in this town so desperate for validation that they’ll lay their journalistic values on the altar of a twice-warmed rubber chicken entree at the White House Correspondents Dinner, so long as it’s served at the same table as someone senior enough in the executive branch. Folks outside Washington may not know what I mean. But there’s a drunken coziness between administration officials and the reporters who cover them that goes well beyond anything that “cultivating sources” could honestly justify. A lot of people who weren’t cool in high school have found that proximity to power feels an awful lot like belonging, and these days, it’s blinded some of them to the crimes they’re watching get committed. They’ll keep reporting not-too-critically if they keep getting party invites.
Just think about what the White House Correspondents’ Association is doing at present. They’re arranging another dinner at the request of Donald Trump and making fawning accommodations (like hosting the event at the former Trump Hotel in D.C.) for a president who personally insults reporters, who lies without a fact-check, and who has humiliated the only constitutionally protected profession in America. That’s the choice in front of every journalist right now. You don’t have to get fired or resign in protest. You just have to decide not to let the First Amendment get steamrolled while you eat sushi rolls with Stephen Miller.
Opportunities for courage are arriving by the day. Courage might be a decision not to stand there silently when the president shouts “quiet, piggy!” at a respected journalist on Air Force Once… or a decision to challenge a blatant falsehood the president vomits while you’re covering his press conference, even if he’s “mean” to you afterwards… or a decision to say something — anything — if your newsroom is being hijacked by managers reportedly taking their orders from the leader of the “free” world instead of a management team dedicated to speaking truth to power.
If Scott Pelley wrestled with those demons, he never let us see it. He just chose. The rest of America’s journalists should ask yourselves, honestly: What would Scott Pelley do?
Your friend, in defiance,
Miles Taylor
P.S. Help spread the defiance by sharing this post.
THE DEFIANCE WATCHLIST
ANTI-WEPONIZATION FUND IS SCRAPPED, BUT TRUMP’S “BLANKET IMMUNITY” IS NOT. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified to lawmakers yesterday that the Justice Department has abandoned its plans for their “anti-weaponization” slush fund (although questions remain about whether they’ll actually put it in writing or try to find a way to resuscitate it in different form). But Blanche made abundantly clear that they’d be keeping the second piece of the settlement in place, which bars the government from probing past tax filings from Trump and his business. We’ll be watching this closely. Because it’s just as corrupt as the first piece.
JAN. 6TH RIOTER HIRED FOR SENSITIVE NATIONAL SECURITY JOB. Now that the slush fund has been sullied, the administration has already found another way to reward January 6th rioters for defacing our democracy. The Pentagon has officially hired Elias Irizarry, a convicted rioter in the Jan. 6 insurrection to a position overseeing (ironically enough) counterterrorism and sensitive warfare matters. Who better to run our country than those who participated in a domestic terrorist attack against it, right?
DHS SECRETARY HINTS AT DODGING COURT ORDERS. Markwayne Mullin has only been a cabinet secretary for two months, and he already finds himself running from the rule of law. Yesterday, the DHS chief refused to commit to the most basic thing he could commit to in the job: following the law. When pressed in a Senate hearing, Mullin would not agree to abide by rulings from federal judges against DHS. This is a problem, of course, because federal judges have found that ICE alone has committed tens of thousands of violations of law since Trump returned to office. Mullin might as well have said: “Look over here! I’ll be the one breaking the law!” We’ll be watching.
BONUS — ACT OF DEFIANCE — MOLLY LEE DIAGNOSIS YOU WITH “TIOS.” An Instagram influencer who focuses on soap has told us we might need to wash our mouths out with it. Molly Lee from the Instagram “OptimisticSoap” highlights the ins and outs of Trump-induced Obscenity Syndrome, also known as TiOS. Find yourself cursing under your breath while filling up your tank? Or saying “f**k that guy” when you read about him in the news? You might be one of millions of Americans suffering from TiOS everyday. But dont worry, DEFIANCE.org and Molly understand your struggle. Our mouths may have gotten dirtier, but our consciences are cleaner. That’s why we don’t care if you get treatment.
WHAT’S COMING UP
TONIGHT — MONTHLY MEMBERS-ONLY MEETING — If you’re a DEFIANCE.org Member, you’ll get an email today with the registration information for the Zoom. These happen the first Wednesday of every month @ 5pm ET — your chance to shape what direction we take the club! Don’t worry. Replays available afterwards, and you’ll get an email to provide input if you missed it.
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FRI — WEEKLY COFFEE — This week, I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one. Only Members can ask questions. Join us on Substack or at DEFIANCE.News every Friday at 2p ET. Replays available afterwards
NEXT WEDS — WEEKLY MISSION BRIEFING — This is the “beating heart of DEFIANCE.org.” Every Wednesday @ 5pm ET we do a special episode of DEFIANCE Daily and announce real actions to combat Trump’s corruption. So tune in. Replays available afterwards.
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ONE MORE THING
Forward this email to someone who should join the defiance. If you are that someone and asking “what is this?” then I’ll tell you: I won’t let a wannabe dictator destroy the country I spent my career protecting. That’s why I launched DEFIANCE.org — a club for courageous Americans asking, “WHAT CAN I DO?” Each week, we defy Trump by taking real action to thwart his abuses of power. Become a Member today at DEFIANCE.org/join or here on Substack. 100% of proceeds to go the pro-democracy fight. Or sign up for occasional updates for free below. We publish breaking news and analysis at DEFIANCE.News.
Scott Pelley's "brand" of honesty and integrity needs somehow to be brought into Defiance.news in a way that will bring many of those who will be shocked by his firing over to this new media.
We also need to figure out how to build our own 'paramount' system. The dependency on Substack is scary as they can pull the plug at any minute. Miles--is anyone working on this?
As for DC, journalists... It's so true--I used to live in Richmond--which is now very much part of the DC 'corridor'. When you're there, everything happening in DC is front and center. It is a pulsing energy field and these journalists think it is the center of life. But when you get outside that corridor--DC becomes a blip on the screen and I don't think folks in DC realize that enough.
I've lived in 9 states in this country--3xs in Richmond/Hampton Roads. area When there, you get sucked into the DC energy but move away and it becomes the blip. And more and more, people aren't paying attention to DC at all....
CBS is nothing more than a propaganda machine. I will not give them one cent of my hard-earned money! Also, we need to bring more awareness, because I think the public doesn't understand, is that Blubbering Blanche and dumpster still want him immune from audits by the IRS! This is not acceptable! The only reason he would want immunity for himself and his billionaire children is that they know they have been committing fraud! You would never ask for this if you were innocent. WE CANNOT LET THAT HAPPEN!