Former “60 Minutes” managing editor Guy Campanile has broken his silence following his May exit from the CBS newsmagazine, insisting the fired staffers were “told to leave because we insisted on doing our jobs.”
“Tanya Simon, Draggan Mihailovich, Matthew Polevoy, Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega and I refused to be accomplices in the destruction of the most prestigious news program on America television,” he shared Tuesday on social media after spending 34 years at CBS News.
“We would not compromise our principles or reputations by jamming unverifiable notions or White House talking points into our reporting. 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. We did what reported worth their salt do — we questioned authority … including our own bosses. That’s how the best newsrooms work,” Campanile continued. “What has happened recently at ’60 Minutes’ — where I believe editorial independence has become a casualty of corporate priorities and ideological intrusion — was tragic. But it was part of the inevitable progression in the cascade of afflictions that have devalued our most trusted sources of news.”
His comments came Tuesday as new executive producer Nick Bilton teased this Sunday’s Season 59 premiere under new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss — insisting stories on President Donald Trump would be fair game going forward.
Campanile also explained his concerns about the state of modern journalism at large. “Information has become commoditized in the attention economy. Facts are increasingly treated as items in a buffet, chosen depending on specific appetite and ideological tastes,” he wrote. “Journalism, especially on television, is now largely an exercise in presentation rather than examination.”
“Making matters worse is the cadre of self-described influencers and on-line opinionists who market themselves as ‘journalists.’ Some have been given control of our most precious reporting institutions — including CBS News,” Campanile added. “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.”
On Sunday, returning correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim will be joined by Norah O’Donnell and Ross Douthat, as well as contributors Matt Gutman, Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni, Trevor Phillips and Ariel Levy for the Season 59 premiere.
“I cannot remain silent as trust built over decades by my colleagues and mentors is wrecked. The audience deserves so much better,” Campanile concluded. “As for my friends that remain at my former employer: Hold the line. Don’t give an inch because they will keep scraping away until there’s nothing left worth a damn.”
TheWrap has reached out to CBS News for comment.
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