Former CBS '60 Minutes' Correspondent Claims Editorial Pressure Over Unverified Stories

Cecilia Vega, a former correspondent for CBS News’ "60 Minutes," told ABC News correspondent John Quiñones at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists conference in New Orleans that she was asked by the network’s new leadership to add material to stories that could not be verified. She said executives encouraged her to include video of protesters assaulting alleged ICE agents after the January 2026 shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, but her team found no credible footage.

Vega also said she was instructed to insert an excerpt from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s press conference in which he supposedly urged police to confront ICE agents, yet her review of the full recording did not reveal such remarks. "That never happened," she said.

Other instances she cited included pressure to reference Vice President JD Vance’s memoir in a piece on SNAP benefit cuts in West Virginia, and a directive to open a segment on Donald Trump’s policy toward Iran with a line describing Iran as "totally outgunned" by the United States and Israel, which she described as a "talking point."

Vega did not name editor-in-chief Bari Weiss directly, referring instead to a "new administration at CBS News." She said the editorial feedback began after new personnel joined the review process and expressed that she had never before felt editorial suggestions were driven by misinformation or politics.

CBS News responded by citing a May statement that acknowledged Vega’s claim of political bias but called it unfounded. The network also quoted Weiss, who said editorial interference is part of an editor-in-chief’s role, and noted that none of the cited examples aired. Vega said she still has not been given a reason for her termination and emphasized the personal risk she took in speaking publicly.