Fired 60 Minutes Editor Blasts CBS News for Trying to Force Him to Be an ‘Accomplice’ in ‘Destruction’ of Show

Screenshot via 60 Minutes on Facebook.

Former 60 Minutes managing editor Guy Campanile broke his silence about his firing from CBS News, accusing the network’s new management of destroying the storied program and adding that he and his former colleagues were ousted after refusing to compromise their journalism.

Campanile, whose 34-year career at CBS ended in May, made the accusations in a private Facebook post obtained by The Guardian on Tuesday. Mediaite also independently reviewed screenshots of the post to confirm the reporting’s accuracy.

“I have not publicly shared details of what I experienced this past year as Managing Editor at 60 Minutes,” Campanile wrote, explaining that he initially believed it was “wise to remain quiet when emotions are raw.”

But after several months, he said he was ready to speak out.

Campanile named Tanya Simon, Draggan Mihailovich, Matthew Polevoy, Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, and Cecilia Vega alongside himself as journalists who “refused to be accomplices in the destruction of the most prestigious news program on American television.”

“We would not compromise our principles or reputations by jamming unverifiable notions or White House talking points into our reporting,” Campanile wrote. “We objected when told to conduct interviews arranged by the administration. We insisted on asking the most challenging questions to business and political leaders without fear or favor.”

“To be clear – we were told to leave because we insisted on doing our jobs,” he added.

Campanile argued that editorial independence at 60 Minutes had “become a casualty of corporate priorities and ideological intrusion,” before broadening his criticism to the state of television journalism.

“Journalism, especially on television, is now largely an exercise in presentation rather than examination,” he wrote, blasting networks for hyping stories and showcasing “anchors with shallow experience but blessed with exceptional haircuts.”

He also took aim at “self-described influencers and on-line opinionists who market themselves as ‘journalists,’” adding, “Some have been given control of our most precious reporting institutions — including CBS News.”

“Many of these newsroom managers have never been exposed to the depths of poverty, the ravages of war or the heartbreak of disaster. Yet these dilettantes and their enablers make critical programming decisions based on what might trend on-line over the next few hours,” he explained.

Campanile ended with a warning to colleagues who remain at CBS: “Hold the line. Don’t give an inch because they will keep scraping away until there’s nothing left worth a damn.”

His broadside comes amid continued upheaval at the show under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. Pelley, who was also fired earlier this year after clashing with management and criticizing Weiss during a meeting, reportedly declared just before his ouster, “She’s murdering 60 Minutes.”

Pelley added of Weiss, “She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that.”

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