When the owners of CBS News fired Scott Pelley after 37 years and gutted "60 Minutes," they bet you wouldn't notice. Cancel Paramount+. Stop watching CBS News. Until editorial independence is restored.
On June 2, 2026, CBS News fired veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley after 37 years. In his statement that night, Pelley alleged the network's new leadership told him to "inject falsehoods and bias" into a story, and accused its owners of casting the program aside to curry favor with the Trump administration. A newsroom that answers to power instead of the public hasn't earned your subscription. So we're withdrawing it — together.
In his first interview since being fired, Pelley told the New York Times this weekend: "CBS News, in my view, is on fire." Watch the interview ↗
It's a pattern. Last season, "60 Minutes" had 2.5 billion views — a third of humanity — 9% audience growth, and won two Emmys. Then Paramount merged with Skydance and the new owners systematically dismantled the team that built it. Here is the public record.
Paramount paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit Donald Trump filed over a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris. In his first interview since being fired, Pelley described the payment as a bribe made to secure regulatory approval for the Skydance merger — money he said no lawyer believed was legally necessary. Paramount denied any connection between the settlement and the merger's approval.
Longtime "60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens steps down, saying he no longer has the independence to run the program as he had for years.
Skydance Media, led by David Ellison — son of a prominent Trump ally — completes its acquisition of Paramount, parent of CBS.
Paramount buys The Free Press and installs founder Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
CBS holds a "60 Minutes" segment on Trump-administration deportations to a prison in El Salvador. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi says it was pulled for political reasons. Weiss says it wasn't ready.
Pelley's team produces a story on Minneapolis ICE protest confrontations — balanced, with a Republican senator and footage of aggressive protester behavior — that clears all editorial screenings. Hours past the broadcast deadline, Pelley says CBS leadership sent notes asking for changes that would have described a protester's fatal shooting inconsistently with what the video showed. He refused. The segment came within 19 minutes of not airing — it was the lead-in to the Grammys that night. CBS says the notes had no political motivation.
CBS declines to renew Alfonsi's contract. Nick Bilton — a former tech journalist with no broadcast news experience — is installed as executive producer. Before meeting the staff, Bilton sends an email suggesting the program has changed little since 1968, apparently unaware that "60 Minutes" has operated a global digital presence for over a decade. Correspondent Cecilia Vega and senior producers are let go.
Less than 24 hours after "60 Minutes" wins two Emmys — capping a season with 9% audience growth, 190% digital growth, and 2.5 billion views — the entire senior leadership is fired. Pelley calls it "the Black Thursday massacre." He is terminated after confronting the incoming executive producer at a staff meeting, and alleges management had been instructing him to inject falsehoods into stories and that politicians were invited to choose their interviewers. CBS and Paramount dispute his characterizations.
In his first interview since being fired, Pelley told the New York Times he became a journalist out of love for the First Amendment and believes there is no democracy without a free press. He said CBS needs "adult supervision," and that its broadcast nearly failed to air. His closing: "CBS News, in my view, is on fire." Watch the full interview ↗
Four "60 Minutes" correspondents have left since February, leaving Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim.
The one that costs them money. Two minutes through paramountplus.com or your app store.
Ratings are leverage. Change the channel — and say why.
"60 Minutes" earns $67–80M a year in ads. Its biggest category is pharma — AbbVie (Rinvoq, Skyrizi) is the top target. A specific, civil note carries weight.
Sign below, then send this to one person who'd join. Boycotts work when they're collective.
One ask to advertisers: "Please pause your advertising on CBS News until it restores editorial independence." Use brand contact forms or investor-relations email. Never target individual employees.
I'm turning off CBS News and Paramount+ until editorial independence is restored.
We are not asking CBS to take any political side. We're asking for the opposite: a newsroom insulated from its owners' interests.
Meet these, and we turn CBS News and Paramount+ back on — gladly. We want this newsroom to succeed. That's the whole point.
No. We're not demanding any particular coverage or asking anyone to be silenced. We're asking that journalists be free from owner interference — and we're using the one voice every viewer has: where we spend our attention and money.
Subscription revenue and viewership are exactly what a media company tracks. Individually it's small; collectively and publicly it's leverage. Past campaigns have moved companies once the losses became visible.
The events are documented by mainstream outlets including PBS NewsHour, NBC News, Variety, and Reuters. Some of Pelley's specific characterizations are his allegations, which CBS and Paramount dispute. We link to primary sources so you can judge for yourself.
Many of them are the reason for this campaign. The boycott targets ownership's decisions, not the working journalists.
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We’re a group of committed individuals who love America and want all people to have the opportunity to be who they are, pursue their dreams, and love who they love. We act — and we refuse to be encumbered by daily outrage. Instead we let that outrage fuel us. A free and independent press is the foundation of the country we’re fighting for. That’s why we’re here.
This campaign is not affiliated with CBS News, Paramount Skydance, or any individual named on this site.
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