Former "60 Minutes" correspondent alleges editorial pressure at CBS News
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Cecilia Vega said CBS News executives urged her to add unverified details and frame stories to match Trump administration talking points, claims she was not given a reason for her dismissal.
Cecilia Vega, a former correspondent for "60 Minutes," told an audience at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists conference in New Orleans that she faced editorial pressure after Bari Weiss became editor in chief of CBS News. Vega said executives asked her to include a comment from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey that she could not locate in any recording of his news conference, and to add video of protesters confronting ICE agents despite finding no credible footage.
"That never happened," Vega said.
She added that the pressure extended to other stories, such as being instructed to open a piece on the U.S.-Israeli conflict with language she described as a Trump administration talking point, and being urged to interview Vice President JD Vance or reference his memoir in a report on SNAP cuts in West Virginia. Vega said she resisted these suggestions and that the disputed material did not appear in her final reports.
Vega, who was hired by "60 Minutes" in January 2023 as its first Latina correspondent, was dismissed in May along with other staff members during a restructuring of the program. She said she has not been provided an explanation for her termination and is currently exploring new opportunities.