Former “60 Minutes” correspondent Cecilia Vega stated that CBS executives asked her to include politically motivated or fabricated elements in her reporting, which contributed to her dismissal from the program earlier this year.
Speaking at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference & Expo in New Orleans, Vega detailed instances where she claims CBS News attempted to interfere with her journalistic integrity. She asserted that these directives came from the "new administration at CBS News."
One specific example Vega cited occurred in January while she was covering fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis. She said executives urged her to use footage of protesters assaulting individuals believed to be undercover Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, despite her finding "no credible examples" of such altercations. Vega also stated she was asked to incorporate a quote from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey expressing a desire for law enforcement to target ICE officers enforcing Trump's immigration policies, a statement she claims "never happened" and could not be verified.
Additionally, Vega recalled being instructed to begin a “60 Minutes” segment on the conflict with Iran by stating the nation was "totally outgunned by the United States and Israel," a phrase she perceived as an "administration talking point."
Vega, who joined “60 Minutes” in 2023, noted that while she was accustomed to editorial feedback, these suggestions felt different. "Never in my career until now have I felt that those edits, those suggestions, came from a place of misinformation or politics," she said.
The proposed changes did not ultimately appear in her finalized reports. Vega previously alluded to similar experiences in a May Instagram post following her termination, describing "efforts to insert political bias into our stories" and labeling it as "censorship."
A CBS News spokesperson responded to Vega's recent remarks by reiterating a previous statement that her claims "are not based in reality." The spokesperson also referenced an interview with CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, who joined the company in October 2025. In that interview, Weiss defended her editorial approach, stating, "What’s being called ‘editorial interference’ is in reality the job description of an editor in chief."
Vega was among several high-profile staff members ousted from “60 Minutes” in May, a shake-up that followed Weiss's hiring. Vega stated that she has still not been given a reason for her dismissal and expressed concern for the future of the program, saying, "There is a lot at stake."