WGAE Chief Calls CBS News Purge Contempt For Journalism After Pelley Exit

The Writers Guild of America, East president went on record Tuesday as CBS News cut Scott Pelley and other longtime '60 Minutes' staff in a round of layoffs that the union says signals institutional disregard for the profession.

CBS News laid off Scott Pelley and other '60 Minutes' correspondents and staff in a recent round of cuts.
WGAE president Lowell Peterson publicly condemned the firings as showing 'profound contempt for the journalism profession.'
The cuts follow months of turbulence at '60 Minutes,' including the earlier departure of executive producer Bill Owens.
CBS News has not issued a public statement directly addressing the union's characterization of the layoffs.
The guild represents writers and other editorial workers at CBS News under a collective bargaining agreement.

The Writers Guild of America, East weighed in Tuesday on CBS News layoffs that included the removal of Scott Pelley from 60 Minutes, with WGAE president Lowell Peterson telling reporters the move reflects “profound contempt for the journalism profession.”

Pelley, who joined 60 Minutes as a correspondent in 2004 and anchored the CBS Evening News from 2011 to 2017, is among the named departures in a broader cost-cutting round at CBS News. Additional staff cuts at the newsmagazine were confirmed by Deadline on Tuesday.

The firings come after executive producer Bill Owens left the program earlier this year, a departure Owens said at the time was connected to editorial pressure from CBS corporate ownership. Paramount Global, which owns CBS, is currently in the final stages of a merger review with Skydance Media.

Peterson's statement did not identify specific contracts at issue but referenced the union's ongoing representation of CBS News editorial workers. CBS News declined to comment on the guild's characterization.

60 Minutes averaged roughly 7.8 million viewers in the 2024–25 broadcast season, per Nielsen, making it one of the five most-watched programs on network television. The staff reductions were not accompanied by any announcement of a format change.