Dan Rather and Slew of CBS Alumni Call for David Ellison to Uphold ‘Independence’ of ’60 Minutes’ in Defiant Open Letter

(Photos via: Ronen Tivony and Richard Shotwell)

Former CBS star anchor Dan Rather was among 130 signees who called for Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison to “uphold the principle of editorial independence” at 60 Minutes and railed against sweeping changes at the program in an open letter sent on Monday.

The letter was signed by dozens of former CBS and 60 Minutes reporters and producers, including longtime correspondent Steve Kroft, as well as actress Glenn Close, The New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright, and documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney.

It comes less than a week after CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss named Nick Bilton the show’s new executive producer, with Bilton replacing Tanya Simon. Several correspondents were also fired in the shakeup, which led to swift complaints from many in the journalism world and from veteran anchor Scott Pelley.

The signees complained that the changes not only threatened the future of the top-rated news program but also the future of journalism in the USA.

“Modernizing the show for new audiences and new delivery approaches is important — but not at the cost of editorial integrity,” the letter said. “The wholesale dismissal of editorial management, without a public pledge to maintain the values, standards, and traditions of this program, put the legacy of 60 Minutes in jeopardy.” 

“We urge you to send a clear message to your staff, your viewers, and the broader public that you respect and value editorial independence and press freedom,” the letter continued. “What is at stake is not just the future of the most important and enduring television journalism program in this country, but the future of free and independent press in America.”

The New York Times media reporter Ben Mullin posted the full letter to X:

Earlier in the day, Status CEO Oliver Darcy reported Pelley fumed that Weiss was “murdering” 60 Minutes.

“She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it—and she’s doing exactly that,” Pelley said. “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?”

The letter said it would be updated with more names.

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