By Variety | Created at 2026-07-24 15:09:55 | Updated at 2026-08-03 04:46:09
1 week ago
Cecilia Vega, who was fired as a correspondent from CBS News’ “60 Minutes” as part of a major shake-up three months ago, is speaking out about her experience at the TV newsmagazine under Bari Weiss‘ leadership.
Vega claimed that the “new administration” at CBS News — indicating Weiss, whom Paramount CEO David Ellison installed as editor in chief of the division last fall — asked her to report on events that “never happened” and had pushed her and her team to include claims in stories that they were unable to verify.
Vega made the comments in a discussion Thursday with ABC News correspondent John Quiñones at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference & Expo in New Orleans. Her remarks were first reported by Status.
Vega said that in her coverage following the fatal shootings in January 2026 of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, she was encouraged by CBS News executives to include video of protesters assaulting people they believed were undercover ICE agents. According to Vega, her team searched for evidence of that — but found “no credible examples” of such incidents.
In addition, Vega said she was asked to include an excerpt from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s comments at a press conference that he wanted the police to fight ICE agents enforcing immigration policies. According to Vega, her team watched “every frame” of the footage and did not find the moment in question. “That never happened,” Vega said. “We could not find any instance of the mayor saying something like that.”
Vega offered other examples of CBS News management attempting to interfere with her stories. For a story about about West Virginia residents affected by SNAP benefit cuts in the state, Vega claimed she was questioned why she had not interviewed Vice President JD Vance or referenced his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” — which centers on his upbringing in Ohio.
And, for a “60 Minutes” piece about Donald Trump’s war on Iran, Vega said she was told to open the segment with this: “Who is winning the war? Iran is totally outgunned by the United States and Israel.” That, she said, felt like an “administration talking point.”
Vega did not explicitly name Weiss as having made the requests, saying that the directives came under the “new administration at CBS News.” She said things “started to change when new people started showing up in the screenings and giving their feedback on pieces.” Said Vega: “Never in my career until now have I felt that those edits, those suggestions, came from a place of misinformation or politics. That’s the difference.”
Asked for comment, a CBS News representative cited a statement it issued in May in the wake of Vega’s comments after her firing, in which she claimed that “my producing teams and I have experienced efforts to insert political bias into our stories.” In that statement, CBS News said, “We respect Ms. Vega and her contributions, but her claims are not based in reality.”
In addition, the network spokesperson pointed to a comment Weiss made in June, in which she said, “What’s being called ‘editorial interference’ is in reality the job description of an editor in chief.” CBS News also noted that none of the examples Vega cited were incorporated into any report that was aired or published.
During her talk at the NAHJ conference, Vega said she is still in the dark about why she was fired from “60 Minutes,” saying, “I still have not been given a reason.”
Vega told Quiñones that she had been afraid to discuss her departure from “60 Minutes” but said, “It’s not that I just lost a job. There is a lot at stake. Sometimes you’ve got to be scared and do it still.”
