Ousted “60 Minutes” correspondent Cecilia Vega spoke out against her former bosses at CBS News, alleging they had meddled in the show’s reporting.
Vega, who was fired by the network in May, appeared Thursday at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference & Expo in New Orleans. According to audio obtained by Status News, Vega decided to speak candidly about her experience despite initially being “scared” to do so.
“It’s not that I just lost a job. There is a lot at stake,” Vega said, per Status. “Sometimes you got to be scared and do it still.”
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Vega alleged that while reporting about the anti-ICE unrest in Minnesota in January that spotlighted the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, she was encouraged to also include footage of anti-ICE agitators attacking those that were perceived to be plain-clothed ICE agents, but she concluded there were “no credible examples” despite one reported at the time by Alpha News. She said her team was also asked to include comments made at a press conference by Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey about him allegedly urging local police to fight ICE agents and that the police chief rolled his eyes in reaction, insisting the moment was “misinformation” after a thorough search.
“That never happened,” Vega reportedly said. “We could not find any instance of the mayor saying something like that.”
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At a Jan. 14 press conference, Frey said residents had been asking police officers “to fight ICE agents on the street,” denouncing the idea of two government entities “literally fighting one another.” The police chief standing beside him can be seen raising his eyebrows in a surprised reaction to the apparent request from residents.
Additionally, Vega claimed she was told to introduce a report about President Donald Trump‘s war with Iran by saying, “Who is winning the war? Iran is totally outgunned by the United States and Israel” despite being just days into the conflict, a quote she considered an “administration talking point.”
When asked if the alleged meddling impacted her reports, Vega replied, “If you watch my pieces, you’d see those examples did not make them in.”
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While she refrained from citing Weiss by name, Vega said the “new administration at CBS News” was behind the various directives and that she “never had an opportunity to sit down with Bari Weiss one on one” before her firing.
“I don’t know why I was fired,” Vega said, per Status. “It’s been about three months now… and I don’t know. I was not given a reason. I still have not been given a reason.”
A spokesman for CBS News pointed to a statement previously given to Fox News Digital after Vega first spoke out, saying, “We respect Ms. Vega and her contributions, but her claims are not based in reality.”
CBS News also cited a comment Weiss previously told the Wall Street Journal, saying “What’s being called ‘editorial interference’ is in reality the job description of an editor in chief.”
Vega was among several top “60 Minutes” staffers who were let go in May, including fellow correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi and executive producer Tanya Simon. Veteran “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley was also fired after a combative exchange he had at a staff meeting with the show’s new executive producer Nick Bilton.
