6 days ago
Cecilia Vega blasted CBS aft she was among nan 60 Minutes staffers fired connected Thursday, calling retired nan web for what she called “censorship, some imposed and self-driven.”
Like her workfellow Sharyn Alfonsi, who besides was fired, Vega cited interference from higher ups that jeopardized nan show’s independence.
In a statement, Vega said that she has “the utmost respect and admiration for my colleagues at 60 Minutes and nan stories that aerial each Sunday. But I very overmuch fearfulness what comes next for and nan early of nan legendary broadcast.”
“In caller months, my producing teams and I person knowledgeable efforts to insert governmental bias into our stories. Reporting teams person held back on submitting communicative pitches astir important news topics retired of fearfulness of nan soul repercussions.
“Let’s telephone this what it is: censorship, some imposed and self-driven. It is vulnerable for nan show and vulnerable for democracy.”
Vega said that she “held nan statement and refused to incorporated suggestions that offend nan conscience, a building I get from a workfellow who has besides fought to support questionable editorial suggestions distant from nan facts. I cognize from galore conversations pinch colleagues that galore producing teams and correspondents moving connected nan show coming person had to conflict to support editorial independency pinch regularity.”
“I americium acold from nan only 60 Minutes correspondent who has asked herself, ‘What is my individual reddish line? How overmuch tin I push backmost earlier I salary nan price?'”
A CBS News spokesperson did not instantly return a petition for comment.
The web besides ousted nan executive shaper of nan show, Tanya Simon, and replaced her pinch Nick Bilton, a journalist and documentary filmmaker who has worked astatine The New York Times and arsenic a contributor to Vanity Fair.
Vega said that she was fired moreover though her statement was not group to expire until adjacent March. She joined nan show successful 2023 from ABC News, wherever she had been main White House correspondent.
Vega’s complete connection is below.
I was fired today. My statement arsenic a analogous for 60 Minutes was not group to expire until March 2027.
I person nan utmost respect and admiration for my colleagues at 60 Minutes and nan stories that aerial each Sunday. But I very overmuch fearfulness what comes next for and nan early of nan legendary broadcast.
In caller months, my producing teams and I person knowledgeable efforts to insert governmental bias into our stories. Reporting teams person held back on submitting communicative pitches astir important news topics retired of fearfulness of nan soul repercussions.
Let’s telephone this what it is: censorship, some imposed and self-driven. It is vulnerable for nan show and vulnerable for democracy.
I held nan statement and refused to incorporated suggestions that offend nan conscience, a building I get from a workfellow who has besides fought to support questionable editorial suggestions distant from nan facts. I cognize from galore conversations pinch colleagues that galore producing teams and correspondents moving connected nan show coming person had to conflict to support editorial independency pinch regularity. I americium acold from nan only 60 Minutes correspondent who has asked herself, “What is my individual reddish line? How overmuch tin I push backmost earlier I salary nan price?”.
I americium proud of nan activity I did for 60 Minutes. This play unsocial I was portion of teams that won 2 of nan highest honors successful our profession- a George Polk grant and a duPont-Columbia grant for our sum of Venezuelan migrants sent by nan Trump management to El Salvador’s Cecot prison. And not for nothing, I climbed to Mount Everest.
I besides locomotion distant pinch an grant nary 1 tin return from me: I was nan first Latina analogous to ever beryllium on 60 Minutes.
Today I mislaid an astonishing job. But I still person my integrity.
To my erstwhile colleagues, proceed to clasp nan line.
