“[Scott] Pelley’s firing came after [Bari] Weiss dismissed several of his colleagues and hired a new 60 Minutes boss, Nick Bilton, whom Pelley then clashed with in a staff meeting. Pelley, along with a number of other 60 Minutes correspondents who were fired, have now accused Weiss of editorial interference and bias, charges that CBS News and Weiss deny.” — New York Times
When I first started out in the news, there was far too much reporting. Barely anyone was just making stuff up. It was as if nobody even wanted to put their thumb on the scale on behalf of the powerful. As you know, I’ve made it my life’s goal to change that. And now, at long last, the press has been freed from journalism.
I come from an opinion background. That means I have never been shackled by “facts.” The truth is, at best, inconvenient and, at worst, a threat to my bottom line. I have always believed it is the job of the news to write a rough draft of history—and then redline that draft until it fits my personal worldview.
I first left legacy media when a new, disturbing consensus emerged in the press: that I was bad at my job. So I did what any rational journalism-averse person would do. I blamed everything on woke. On cancel. On not listening enough to diverse voices, like fascists. I forged ahead to build a new media empire, one built on complete editorial independence and also millions of dollars from venture capitalists. My goal was to unmuzzle those who have been silenced, like billionaire children’s book authors, billionaire music producers, and billionaire tech executives.
But it never felt like enough. The news was still out there. Journalists were still reporting. Stories were still being vetted, researched, and—gasp—told. It all haunted me, like an unsolved case. My white whale: the integrity of the fourth estate.
Then, a miracle occurred. Venture capitalists came for legacy media. Finally, people who truly respected free speech bought free speech. And they bought me too. Not to lead in print but in televised news. I spent my entire career not preparing for this moment. It was time to root out the infection of journalism that had spread to every corner of the press.
I needed to be careful not to give up the game too early. Journalism still had its allies in the news. There were plenty of people on the inside who wanted to keep journalism alive. I needed to move slowly. So I barely did anything at first. I simply delayed and altered massive investigative segments, interfered with reporting, injected falsehoods to favor the White House’s views, and fired as many prominent producers and talent as I could. Nobody even knew I was there.
How does the news go morally bankrupt? Gradually, then suddenly. Bit by bit, I chipped away. In the end, I didn’t even have to physically hunt down the rest of the journalists on staff as I’d planned. They decided to leave on their own, according to the statement I just made up. And here we are today, another trusted institution crumbling into a beautiful pile of bootlicking cronyism. The press is finally free from journalism.
