Amid upheaval at 60 Minutes, CBS News and recent changes at the outlet were the subject of criticism from the stage at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards on Wednesday night.
The student journalist recipient of the Mike Wallace Memorial Scholarship called out CBS in the wake of the recent merger of its parent company Paramount with Skydance.
“While I want to thank CBS News for funding this generous gift towards my education, I want to also acknowledge how the recent direction of the outlet stains the legacy of Mike Wallace, the namesake of this scholarship,” Santiago Campos said onstage to enthusiastic applause from the audience.
He went on to speak out against “corporate elites” affecting the spread of information and stressing the importance of “journalism that serves people.”
He added, “As corporate elites take hold over the very pipes through which our information flows, journalism that serves people becomes increasingly harder to come by, yet ever more crucial, and what the people want is the truth. So if at any time you hesitate to utter the word ‘genocide’ or remain silent in the face of blatant lies, remember to ask yourself, ‘Who is this for?’ I hope you choose us.”
60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, who presented Campos with the award, praised the student journalist for his remarks. “God, we need young people like you right behind us. Thank you. God bless you. I know that Mike Wallace is looking down at you with pride at this very moment.”
60 Minutes won two awards at the news portion of the two-night News and Documentary Emmy Awards (the documentary categories will be presented Thursday night).
But the accolades came just hours before a major overhaul of the venerable newsmagazine as executive producer Tanya Simon was let go and features journalist Nick Bilton was installed as executive producer. CBS News also parted ways with a number of other top producers and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi. Alfonsi had recently spoken out against “corporate meddling” and “editorial fear” after editor-in-chief Bari Weiss pulled her segment on the CECOT prison in El Salvador from a December 60 Minutes broadcast at the last minute. Weiss said at the time that the piece was “not ready.” It ran a month later largely unaltered.
Alfonsi was in the audience at the awards show, with Pelley giving her a shout-out from the stage during his introduction of Campos.
The Mike Wallace Memorial Scholarship is given to a student pursuing a career in broadcast journalism and is funded by a CBS News grant.
“Santiago has a talent for in-depth storytelling and a work ethic honed over four years of production classes in high school,” Pelley said, introducing him. “Whether in front or behind the camera, this student reporter is passionate, careful and hands-on about the stories that he tells. His mission is to help people understand complex stories that have great social impact and give voice to the voiceless. I think Mike would see something of himself in this year’s recipient.”
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