Overview
- Speaking at the Walter Cronkite Awards on Dec. 12, Pelley said the broadcast is pursuing the same kinds of stories with no interference from the new owners.
- He added that every story from last season made it to air with an absolute minimum of interference.
- He also pointed to the pressured exits of executive producer Bill Owens and news division president Wendy McMahon as significant losses for the newsroom.
- Pelley said the program is struggling to book guests, citing a climate of fear that makes sources hesitant to appear.
- The Paramount–Skydance merger closed in August with Trump administration approval, placing David Ellison in charge after a $16 million settlement of President Trump’s lawsuit and followed by the hiring of Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief.