Tony Dokoupil Honors Scott Pelley After ’60 Minutes’ Firing

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CBS Evening News Anchor Tony Dokoupil Pays Tribute to Scott Pelley

During a recent broadcast of the “CBS Evening News,” anchor Tony Dokoupil took a moment to pay tribute to Scott Pelley, who was recently fired from his position as a correspondent on “60 Minutes.” The decision to let Pelley go came after a heated clash with the show’s new executive producer, Nick Bilton.

Reflecting on Pelley’s time at CBS, Dokoupil shared, “When I started at CBS, Scott Pelley was in this very chair, and still doing a dozen stories a year for ’60 Minutes.’ He believed in the mission of freedom of the press and held himself to the highest standard of journalism.”

Dokoupil continued to praise Pelley’s dedication to truth and his unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity. He highlighted Pelley’s belief that being at CBS News meant being among the best in the world, and that every day was an opportunity to live up to that standard.

In a tribute video showcasing Pelley’s career highlights, Dokoupil described him as a man from another era, someone who valued truth above all else and didn’t concern himself with the competition because he knew who he was as a journalist.

Pelley’s departure from “60 Minutes” came after a confrontation with Bilton during a staff meeting, where Pelley criticized Bilton’s qualifications to lead the show. Bilton was appointed by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, whom Pelley also accused of negatively impacting the show’s legacy.

Following the shake-up at “60 Minutes,” Dokoupil’s comments are particularly significant as Weiss was responsible for appointing him as the anchor of the “Evening News.” The changes at CBS have not gone unnoticed, with other CBS news personalities like Steve Kroft expressing concern about the direction of the network.

Kroft criticized the interference in the journalistic integrity of “60 Minutes” under Weiss’s leadership, calling it a disastrous decision that makes no sense from a business perspective. He questioned why a successful and long-standing program like “60 Minutes” would be tampered with when it continues to be the highest-rated news show on television.