Our MAD "Hero of the Month": Scott Pelley defender of Journalism and Democracy
American democracy and journalism need more heroes. Our Media and Democracy Project hero for June is Scott Pelley. Included in this post are actions to take to thank to support Mr. Pelley.
“The most important thing is to have the courage to speak, to not let fear permeate the country so that everyone suddenly becomes silent. If you have the courage to speak, we are saved. If you fall silent, the country is doomed.”—Scott Pelley
CBS news is under siege. Enraged by CBS’s audacity to exercise its First Amendment rights and broadcast an edited interview in October with Kamala Harris, President Trump is pursuing a frivolous lawsuit against CBS’s parent company Paramount Global. Trump also appears to be influencing the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) approval process for Paramount’s sale and $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. Although he recently expressed support for the deal, the merger has been delayed and is lingering at the FCC. In an apparent attempt to appease Trump and and obtain FCC approval, Paramount tried offering a monetary settlement of the lawsuit with Trump. That strategy has attracted the attention of lawmakers; three U.S. Senators warned Paramount that such a settlement seems corrupt, and some California Democrats want to hold state-level hearings.
Paramount’s response to Trump’s assaults include pressuring its own management and triggering the resignations of two senior CBS executives—Bill Owens (60 Minutes) and Wendy McMahon (CBS News). Unlike his employer, Scott Pelley has chosen to openly call out Trump’s abuse of the U.S. Constitution, attacks on press freedom and his efforts to control the media narrative about his fascistic administration. Pelley, a highly respected 60 Minutes correspondent and distinguished 31-year veteran of CBS News, is courageously and very publicly standing up to Trump’s fascist threats and carnival barking. Not surprisingly, MAGA-world is working overtime to generate hysteria and tear Pelley down.
For his courage and his principled defense of journalism as a cornerstone of democracy, our organization recognizes Scott Pelley with our June “Media and Democracy Project Hero of the Month” Award.
60 Minutes has been in Trump’s crosshairs since at least 2020 when he walked out of an interview with CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl. Trump apparently objected to Stahl’s insistence on sticking to verifiable facts. A month before the 2024 Presidential election, Trump pulled out of a planned 60 Minutes interview with Pelley. On October 8th, Pelley aired a careful explanation of the scheduling changes and Trump’s reasons for the withdrawal. In addition to his obvious grudge against Stahl (and her employer), Trump clearly feared being fact-checked by CBS. After the election, Pelley ran a 60 Minutes piece critical of Trump’s bizarre cabinet picks, including the grossly unqualified and extremist Pete Hegseth, Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard, and RFK Jr. “Some nominees appear to have no compelling qualifications other than loyalty to Trump,” Pelley said. MAGA-world was apoplectic, and both Steven Cheung (Trump’s communications director) and Elon Musk attacked and attempted to discredit Pelley.
60 Minute’s big sin against Trump was editing Bill Whitaker’s October 7th interview with Kamala Harris. The recorded interview was 45 minutes long, and CBS edited it to fit into a 20-minute slot. However, Trump accused CBS of doctoring the interview in Harris’ favor, and called it a "giant fake news scam". Despite winning the 2024 Presidential election, Trump’s feelings were so badly hurt that he sued Paramount. He demanded $10 billion—which he later increased to $20 billion—and claimed he suffered “mental anguish“from the interview. The lawsuit appears to be blatantly unconstitutional based on rudimentary First Amendment principles - and should be an easy win for Paramount, and on October 31st 60 Minutes released a statement calling the lawsuit "completely without merit".
However, Shari Redstone, the board chair and controlling shareholder of Paramount, wants to sell the company to Skydance Media (led by David Ellison, son of Oracle founder, billionaire, and Trump-supporter Larry Ellison). The proposed merger must be approved by FCC Chairman and Trump appointee Brendan Carr. As mentioned previously, Redstone is trying to negotiate a settlement with Trump to drop the lawsuit and initially offered a $15 million settlement (Trump wants $25 million and has threatened an additional lawsuit). Those efforts prompted three US Senators to deliver Redstone a written warning that such a settlement might be considered a bribe for a federal agency. On June 19th Rupert Murdoch’s NY Post reported that a proposed $35 million settlement was on hold due to Paramount’s legal concerns.
Against this back-drop, 60 Minutes has aired months of episodes that hit the Trump administration hard on multiple important topics, including the the firing of independent government watchdogs, the silencing of Voice of America, the war in Gaza, the kidnapping and transport of undocumented immigrants to a gulag in El Salvador, the fallout with Ukraine president Voldymyr Zelensky, Trump’s absurd notion to acquire Greenland, the perils of bird flu, and the disastrous funding cuts at the NIH. After 60 Minutes ran its piece on Trump’s fantasy about Greenland and the administration’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump threatened to punish CBS and revoke its license.
Apparently 60 Minutes’ honest, critical coverage and the resulting Trump backlash was all too much for Redstone and Paramount. Bill Owens, the former executive producer of 60 Minutes, stated about his “resignation”:
"Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it. To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience. So, having defended this show- and what we stand for – from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward." NPR reported that Pelley told colleagues: "This isn't something Bill is doing of his own volition: There was no choice in any of this."
Then Pelley turned to the 60 Minutes megaphone itself. On “The Last Minute” segment aired April 27th, in a professional and dignified tone, Pelley told the story of Owens’ resignation and linked it to Redstone’s merger deal and Trump’s influence over it. He said:
“Stories we pursued for 57 years are often controversial — lately the Israel-Gaza war and the Trump administration. Bill made sure they were accurate and fair. He was tough that way, but our parent company Paramount is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he had lost the independence that honest journalism requires.” And: “No one here is happy about it, but in resigning, Bill proved one thing: he was the right person to lead 60 Minutes all along.”
Pelley doubled down during his powerful commencement speech at Wake Forest University on May 19th. Although he never mentioned Trump during the speech, his target was clear. Among other notable topics, Pelley made this statement about freedom of speech:
“To move forward, we debate, not demonize. We discuss, not destroy. But in this moment – this moment, this morning – our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack. An insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes and into our private thoughts. The fear to speak. In America? If our government is – in Lincoln’s words – ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’ – then why are we afraid to speak?”
The speech went viral, and the folks over at Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News propaganda lie machine quickly ramped up with screeching taunts at Pelley. On Fox’s “The Five” opinion talk show, we heard this exchange following a clip of Pelley’s speech:
Greg Gutfield: “Ha ha ha. He wasn’t arrested after that.”
Kayleigh McEnany: “He should have been.”
On Fox’s “The Faulkner Focus”, Harris Faulkner read aloud a few clueless posts from various MAGA ranters criticizing Pelley’s speech, calling him unhinged and angry, and describing his speech as uninspiring and disgusting. Faulkner wondered if Pelley “hates half the country as much as he hates President Trump? He [Pelley] never mentions anything about the 76 million people who voted for Trump as being valuable and loved in the country. He just simply goes after the man they voted for.” Apparently she missed the part where Pelley never mentioned Trump’s name.
Pelley still is not backing down. On June 7th, he sat down for an interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN in which he spoke about how the Wake Forest speech—annd notably, said that he was not nervous about making the speech:
“I think though I am echoing the sentiments of Edward R. Murrow and Fred Friendly, that freedom of speech is what matters in this country. You can agree with the government. You can disagree with the government. But you have the right to speak no matter what your opinion is. And that if the government begins to punish our citizens because of what they have to say, then our country has gone terribly wrong. James Madison, who wrote the Bill of Rights, of course, as you know, said that freedom of speech is the right that guarantees all the others. He thought it was that important. And that's what I was trying to convey to the students at Wake Forest.”
And: “You cannot have democracy without journalism”.
And finally: “The most important thing is to have the courage to speak, to not let fear permeate the country so that everyone suddenly becomes silent. If you have the courage to speak, we are saved. If you fall silent, the country is doomed.”
Thank you, Scott Pelley. The country owes you a debt of gratitude for your perserverance and your powerful defense of free speech, fact-based journalism, and our democracy.
Signed,
The Media and Democracy Project and members Barbara B, Regina H, Jeanne C, Laurie S, Ellen W, Claudia S, Jan S, Art L, Lindsey H, Debra L, Grace C, Erin M, Carol D, Sue K, Ashley J, Mary R, Julie E, Zuzu R, DonnaJoy J, Yukiko H, Cynthia C, Joan S, Diana P, Susan W, Frances H, Mark W, Kelley W, Barbara M, Brenda T, Spencer G, Lori B, Michelle A, Wendy L, Emily A, Gretchen L, Suzanne M, Aya R, Ned R, Dan S, Kirby W, Kitty W, Bonnie F, Hermann V, Kent D, Patricia S, Annie D, Jo K, Bruce L, Brian H, Carolyn B, Holley A, Jonathan R, Noelle P, Sujata S, and Milo V
MAD actions to take in support of Mr. Pelley:
1 - Send Scott Pelley a “thank you” letter via USPS:
Mr. Scott Pelley 60 Minutes / 524 West 57th Street / New York, NY 10019
2- Email a thank you to 60 Minutes staff including Scott Pelley for standing up for reality-based journalism, press freedom and American democracy.
Email: 60m@cbsnews.com
This report is exceptional in every respect, just as Scott Pelley's courage is inspiring and deserving of this recognition. We need all the beacons of Freedom and Responsibility we can get. Bravo, Scott Pelley!
I will forward this to my contact list and urge them to follow your suggestion at the end of this report, just as I intend to do.
Silence as a strategy for confronting unprincipled intimidation by our own government is not an option. Mr. Pelley has earned a special place in the history of We, the People.
I cannot afford yet another Substack subscription; I'm going to do it anyway. Right now.
Scott Pelley’s words defending the freedom of the press and the assurance that any citizen shares the freedom to speak freely are vital at this point in our history, when our freedom to exist is threatened. The much-beleaguered subject of slavery comes to mind because, without being able to speak freely, we would be subject to the chains of tyranny. The Wake Forrest speech Mr. Pelley delivered, I consider akin to the words of Frederick Douglass, Lincoln, MLK, Obama, and Nelson Mandela. Eloquent words of hope at the right time. One man full of hate and resentment cannot be allowed to silence the citizenry. I hope 60 Minutes' mission to report freely and truthfully is not diluted by the merger, but if it is, there will be other media that insist the truth be told. A place where Mr. Pelley can continue to speak freely. I commend the Media and Democracy Project for acknowledging Scott Pelley, a true American hero.