Former "60 Minutes" correspondent alleges editorial interference at CBS News
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Cecilia Vega, a former correspondent for "60 Minutes," said CBS News management pressured her to alter several stories, which she claims did not appear in the final broadcasts.
Cecilia Vega, who joined "60 Minutes" in January 2023 as its first Latina correspondent, said she was dismissed before the end of her contract and accused CBS News executives of attempting to influence the content of her reports. Speaking at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists conference in New Orleans, Vega cited three specific instances where she said management sought changes to her stories.
In a segment about the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens during ICE protests in Minnesota, she said producers asked her to include footage of protesters attacking what they believed were ICE officers, but her team could find no credible evidence of such incidents. She also reported that she was asked to attribute a quote to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey claiming he wanted police to confront ICE agents, a statement her team could not locate in any press conference footage.
Vega described a request to introduce a piece on the conflict involving the United States, Iran and Israel with a line suggesting the United States was winning the war, which she characterized as a "White House talking point." She added that a story on SNAP benefit cuts in West Virginia was met with questions about why she had not interviewed Vice President JD Vance or referenced his memoir, despite the memoir’s focus on a different state and a decade earlier.
"If you watch my pieces, you’d see those examples did not make them in," Vega told the audience.
Vega did not name specific individuals but indicated that the new editorial leadership, including editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, was behind the suggested changes. She noted that Weiss had previously ordered the removal of a "60 Minutes" episode on an El Salvador prison shortly before its scheduled airing.
Vega said she was not provided a reason for her termination and expressed concern that editorial pressure reflected political bias rather than journalistic standards. CBS has not responded to requests for comment.
The dispute follows the June firing of veteran "60 Minutes" reporter Scott Pelley after a disagreement with CBS management.