60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley discussed the damage that would be done to CBS’ reputation if their parent company settles Trump’s lawsuit over their interview with Kamala Harris:
In an interview which immediately followed CNN’s presentation of the broadway play Good Night, and Good Luck on Saturday, Pelley spoke out about the state of American journalism — which was the subject of the play, in which George Clooney portrayed legendary CBS anchor Edward R. Murrow. The play depicts Murrow’s battle with Senator Joseph McCarthy and the fear tactics he regularly used as part of his effort to root out communists. Pelley believes there are parallels to the present day.
“I sense in the country today that there is also a fear to speak because it might wipe out your university, it might wipe out your law firm, it might ruin your career,” Pelley said. “And the theme of all of that together today is that we have to have the courage to speak as Americans you can agree with the government or disagree with the government, but you must not be silent.”
After discussing some of the problems 60 Minutes has been having getting guests to come on the air in our current climate of fear, the topic moved to the lawsuit and what happens if Paramount settles:
COOPER: What — what do you think Edward R. Murrow would think about what’s happening at “CBS News” today?
PELLEY: What a great question. His producer, Fred Friendly, what — became president of “CBS News” and quit over a disagreement about covering the Vietnam War. Quit in principle. I wonder if — I wonder if Ed might have done the same thing, given our present situation. He would probably be waiting to see how this lawsuit from the President works out and how the Paramount Corporation deals with that, whether it settles the lawsuit or whether it fights. I think that would mean everything to Ed. And I also know exactly where he would be on that question. He would be for fighting.
COOPER: If there is a settlement, and as part of the settlement, there’s an apology, how damaging is that to “CBS”?
PELLEY: Will be very damaging to “CBS,” to “Paramount,” to the reputation of those companies. I think many of the law firms that made deals with the White House are at this very moment regretting it. That doesn’t look like their finest hour.
COOPER: It’s been a couple of weeks since Bill Owens, the executive producer of “60 Minutes,” resigned in protest. Given that it’s been a few weeks, how do you see what he did now?
PELLEY: Well, Bill’s decision to resign may not have been much of a decision for him because he was always the first person to defend the independence of “60 Minutes.” Bill didn’t work for “Paramount.” Bill worked for our viewers. And he felt very keenly about that. And so I’m not sure Bill had any choice once the corporation began to meddle in Bill’s decisions about the editorial content or –or just place pressure in that area. Bill felt that he didn’t have the independence that honest journalism requires.
Cooper then asked Pelley what this experience has been like for him personally, and Pelley responded with a similar message to the one we heard in his recent commencement speech:
PELLEY: You really wish the company was behind you 100 percent, right? You really wish the top echelons of the company would — would come out publicly and say, “60 Minutes,” for example, is a crown jewel of American journalism and we stand behind it 100 percent. I haven’t heard that.
On the other hand, my work is getting on the air. And I have not had anyone outside “60 Minutes” put their thumb on the scale and say, you can’t say that. You should say this. You have to edit the story in this way. You should interview this person. None of that has happened.
So while I would like to have that public backing, maybe the more important thing is the work is still getting on the air.
COOPER: Do you still believe in journalism? Do you still believe in the role of journalists?
PELLEY: It is the only thing that’s going to save the country. You cannot have democracy without journalism. It can’t be done. The people at home need reliable, consistent information in order to make decisions about their lives and their — their futures and the country’s future.
So there is no system of democracy without journalism. We have to figure out how to keep journalism free, independent, accurate, and responsible for what it’s doing. But journalism is the only profession that is protected by the Constitution of the United States. And there’s a reason for that. James Madison believed that freedom of speech was the right that guaranteed all the other rights in the Bill of Rights. And so it is today.
COOPER: What is your message to people about who have just watched this and are worried?
PELLEY: It’s going to take courage, as it often has, to get through this period of American history. Our forebears were called by their times to have courage to move the country forward, and so it is with us today.
The most important thing is to have the courage to speak, to not let fear permeate the country so that everyone suddenly becomes silent. If you have the courage to speak, we are saved. If you fall silent, the country is doomed.
