You know ‘journalists’ are serious about propping up one of their most storied propaganda outlets when they add their names to a letter. Watch out; they’re compiling signatures! Please don’t let it be a ‘slew’ of ‘journalism’ industry hacks. Darn it, it’s a ‘slew!’
As you’ve surmised, a ‘slew’ of ‘journalists’ and others have written a letter to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison asking him to promise that 60 Minutes will be allowed to keep its 'editorial independence.' Yes, we laughed at ‘editorial independence,’ too. This letter follows in the wake of Scott Pelley’s unhinged tantrum at a CBS ‘News’ meeting on Monday where new 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton was introduced to the show’s staff.
Here's more. (READ)
NEW: A slew of well-known journalists, including Dan Rather, Lowell Bergman and Alex Gibney, have released a letter to David Ellison asking him to affirm his commitment to editorial independence at “60 Minutes.” pic.twitter.com/6dumz7hpqL
— Ben Mullin (@BenMullin) June 1, 2026
Dan Rather, Lowell Bergman and dozens of other journalists urged David Ellison to protect the freedom of the press on Monday, noting his legal duty to do so after Skydance acquired Paramount, CBS News and “60 Minutes.”
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) June 1, 2026
Read the letter: https://t.co/6gWswVCKLb
Photo: Getty… pic.twitter.com/x3O4ra0RBf
Oh, no! Not a strongly worded letter!
— Rochelle Wentz (@rochellewentz) June 2, 2026
Yes, never underestimate the power of the pen or the typewriter. Speaking of typewriters, disgraced ‘Father of Fake News’ Dan Rather is a signatory to the letter. You can tell journalism and credibility were a huge priority for these ‘free press’ champions—more on Rather in a bit.
But first, here’s the letter:
Recommended
Mr. David Ellison
Chairman and Chief Executive
Paramount Skydance
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
June 1, 2026
Dear Mr. Ellison:
We, the undersigned, urge you and your management team at CBS News to uphold the principle of editorial independence that has made 60 Minutes – in the words of the show's new executive producer – "the most important television journalism brand this country has ever produced."
Acquiring CBS News came with a legal requirement to serve the public interest, avoid political interference, and maintain editorial independence. Institutional trust is not transferred through ownership. 60 Minutes prospered and had impact because it operated under an implicit and sacred obligation to the public.
Modernizing the show for new audiences and new delivery approaches is important – but not at the cost of editorial integrity. The wholesale dismissal of editorial management, without a public pledge to maintain the values, standards, and traditions of this program, puts the legacy of 60 Minutes in jeopardy.
We urge you to send a clear message to your staff, your viewers, and the broader public that you respect and value editorial independence and press freedom. What is at stake is not just the future of the most important and enduring television journalism program in this country, but the future of free and independent press in America.
When has 60 Minutes or CBS 'News' ever served the public interest? We know it has served the Democrat Party on many occasions.
Many of those loyal ‘servants’ signed the letter. Here’s the first set of them:
Signed,
Lowell Bergman, Former 60 Minutes producer, Emeritus Chair UC Berkeley
Alex Gibney, Documentary Filmmaker, Founder Jigsaw Productions
Peter Klein, Former 60 Minutes producer, Founder Global Reporting Centre
Betsy West, Former VP CBS News, Storyville Films
Steve Kroft, Former 60 Minutes correspondent
Dan Rather, Former 60 Minutes correspondent, anchor
Lawrence Wright, New Yorker, author
Anna Quindlen, Writer
Adam McKay, Filmmaker
Glenn Close, Actress, Co-founder Bring Change to Mind
Jelani Cobb, Dean, Columbia Journalism School
Lisa Cohen, Former 60 Minutes producer, Director - duPont Awards
Jonathan Logan, CEO Jonathan Logan Family Foundation
Anthony DePalma, Journalist & author
John Markoff, Research Fellow - Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences
Michael Goldfarb, Former NPR reporter, Host - First Rough Draft of History
Bob Orr, Former CBS News correspondent
Vicki Mabrey, Former CBS News correspondent
Wyatt Andrews, Former CBS News correspondent
Richard Schlesinger, Former CBS News correspondent
Jim Stewart, Former CBS News correspondent
David Gelber, Former 60 Minutes producer, Years of Living Dangerously
Rome Hartman, Former 60 Minutes producer
Wayne Nelson, Former 60 Minutes producer, senior producer CBS News
John Marks, Former 60 Minutes producer, Executive Producer
Alan B. Goldberg, Former 60 Minutes producer
Mitch Weitzner, Former 60 Minutes producer
Janet Roach, Former 60 Minutes producer, Professor Emeritus
Jeff Newton, Former 60 Minutes producer
Richard Buddenhagen, Former 60 Minutes editor
M. Scott Cole, Former senior editor 60 Minutes
Rob Rainey, Former 60 Minutes cameraperson
Bob Goldsborough, Former 60 Minutes cameraperson
Jim Murphy, Former EP - CBS Evening News
George Merlis, Former EP - Good Morning America and CBS Morning News
Michael Sims, Former VP CBS News
Matt Speiser, Former VP PBS NewsHour
Daniel Woo, Former Executive Editor CBS News
Mimi Spillane, Former CBS News producer
Jeff Goldman, Former CBS News producer
Brian Healy, Former CBS News producer
Martha Spanninger, Former CBS News producer
Deborah Grau, Former CBS News producer
Mara Altschuler, Former CBS News producer
Kathy Sulkes, Former CBS News producer
Elliot Kirschner, Former CBS News producer, filmmaker
Judy Reemtsma, Former CBS News producer
Jonnet Steinbaum Abeles, Former CBS News producer
Deborah Rubin, Former CBS News producer
We’re including all the names to show just how many delusional people still believe this show has any true journalistic integrity.
The ‘slew’ continues:
Carol Bash, Independent filmmaker, former 60 Minutes
Carter Yang, Former producer - CBS, ABC, CNN
Luz Montez, Former ABC News producer
Bruce Rheins, Former LA Deputy Bureau Chief - CBS News
Brian Reed, Host of Question Everything, S-Town
Janice Wood Wetzel, Dean and Professor Emerita Adelphi University
Robe Imbriano, Director Documentary - Columbia Journalism
Paula Span, Professor - Columbia Journalism School
Terri Lichstein, Former EP ABC News, Documentary Filmmaker
Lynne Adrine, Former senior producer ABC News
Robert Calo, Former producer ABC & NBC, Emeritus Professor UC Berkeley
Richard O'Regan, Former producer CBS, ABC & CBC
Fiona Turner, Former producer ABC & NBC, VII Foundation
Gary Knight, Executive Director - VII Foundation
Erika Glass, News producer/reporter
Charlie Specht, Investigative reporter
Margaux Moores-Tanvier, Producer
Peter Bull, Writer/Producer/Director
Mc Nelly Torres, Independent investigative journalist
Jonathan Ebinger, George Washington University
Susan Marples, Program manager - Columbia Journalism
Ted Scheinman, Author and magazine editor
David Beers, Editor-in-Chief - The Tyee
Brett Shipp, The Shipp Channel
Kate Taverna, Documentary producer/director/editor
Deirdre English, Former Director of Magazine Center at Berkeley Journalism
Brad Serreno, Cinematographer
Susan Elmiger, Film editor
Terry Benson, TV stage manager
Stephanie Mechura, Documentary editor
Cathy Carr, Adjunct Professor - Penn Law School
Thomas Grant, Assistant Professor - University of Alabama
Liz Werthan, Retired social worker
Glenn Bergman, Board Member Resolve Philly
Connie Carter, Compass real estate
Mila Tewell, Teacher
Joan Wicks, Viewer
List of signatories will continue being updated.
The self-important whiners huffing and puffing have not figured out that their relevance and power has as much relevance as their journalistic credibility in the current media landscape.
— Rochelle Wentz (@rochellewentz) June 2, 2026
They don’t realize that their signatures only reinforce how off the journalistic path 60 Minutes has veered in the last three decades.
Nothing epitomizes the worthlessness of this letter more than Dan Rather lending his name to it. You’ll recall that Rather, while working for CBS ‘News,’ ran a story with forged documents in hopes of keeping President George W. Bush from winning a second term in office. Again, not serving the public interest, but definitely serving the Democrat Party.
Commenters remember.
Dan Rather?! 🤣🤣🤡🤡💩💩
— Dr. Punkjob (@RealPunkJob) June 1, 2026
In case you forgot, Dan Rather committed the most egregious case of journalistic malpractice in history.
Lest anybody forget, the Bush forged documents story that Dan Rather presented was aired on 60 Minutes II.
— SanchoPanzy (@SanchoPanzy) June 1, 2026
That's why he's a former CBS News personality. And it wasn't Bari Weiss who fired him.
https://t.co/PUlxNDhr3n pic.twitter.com/bEBVnFCFst
— Dōgen (@gabri31735) June 2, 2026
lol
— RightWired (@_donaldson) June 2, 2026
oh wait he's serious?
This guy? pic.twitter.com/SxwseJRoeQ
Does using memos one knows are forged to color a completely fake story count as “editorial independence”?
— Rob Smithson (@RobSmithson6) June 2, 2026
Dan Rather ? lol. The paragon of journalistic decay.
— The New Majority (@NixonandIke) June 2, 2026
If journalism existed at the national level, Rather would never have been allowed on any TV or cable news program ever again.
The praise heaped upon this charlatan is how we’ve come to this moment. If you see Rather as a journalism hero, you’ve lost all credibility.
How to know you are making a fool of yourself on social media and in front of god and everyone else:
— Sneyob (@BoyensJC) June 1, 2026
You cite Dan Rather
Protect the freedom of the press to forge documents meant to influence elections
— B36Peacemaker (@B36Peacemaker) June 1, 2026
Dan Rather and Scott Pelley made key contributions to this trend: pic.twitter.com/4DvhEFKasD
— Marc Meunier (@MarcMeu87868286) June 2, 2026
The distrust in 'news' media trend will only continue. Scott Pelley's rants, nor Dan Rather and a whole ‘slew’ of hacks signing a letter, will reverse it. In fact, it's likely only made it worse.