'60 Minutes' Correspondent Scott Pelley — Quick Facts about Life and Career of the Journalist
Journalist Scott Pelley became a staple on television after almost two decades in broadcast journalism. A multi-awarding winning journalist and correspondent, Pelley doesn't hesitate to speak up for what he believes is right.
A familiar face on "60 Minutes" and "CBS Evening News," Scott Pelley is a longtime correspondent and journalist passionate about his work and speaking his truth.
Most recently, the longtime correspondent also penned his experiences in a memoir titled, "Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter's Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Times."
CBS Evening News Anchor and Managing Editor Scott Pelley in New York on January 17, 2014. | Source: Getty Images.
WHO IS SCOTT PELLEY
With decades of experience under the belt, Pelley served as a correspondent for "60 Minutes" since 2004, joining the team over at "CBS Evening News" from 2011, where he served as their anchor until 2017.
In May 2019, Pelley made headlines when he claimed during an interview on CNN's "Reliable Sources" that he lost his anchor position on "CBS Evening News" due to management's dislike about his complaints about the division's "hostile work environment."
According to Pelley, he addressed the issue with the division's president at the time, David Rhodes. Instead of the matter being taken seriously, Pelley got threatened with being fired if he didn't stop complaining and said:
"And he told me if I kept agitating about that internally, then I'd lose my job."
AN AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST
Pelley's passion for journalism shows in his 37 Emmy Awards earned for fieldwork after beginning his career at the age of 15. Most of them for stories he did for "60 Minutes," accounting for almost half of the show's total awards won to date.
Additionally, Pelley also won 5 Edward R. Murrow awards, three Alfred I du Pont-Columbia Silver Batons and George Foster Peabody Awards, and a George Polk award.
The Society of Professional Journalists, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Writers Guild of America, and the Overseas Press Club of America all bestowed Pelley with honors as well.
TRIBUTE TO A COLLEAGUE
The San Antonio, Texas-born news anchor and author again showed his appreciation for quality journalism when the "60 Minutes" correspondent, Bob Simon, passed away in 2015.
Still working at "CBS Evening News" at the time, the father of two began his broadcast with a tribute to honor the late corresponded, and reportedly said, “He reminded us how good journalism could be.”
Similar to Pelley, the "60 Minutes" reporter Lesley Stahl also gained invaluable experience working for the division for almost three decades, and she worked as a journalist for "CBS News" as well.
Even though the occasional public figure walked out on her interviews in the past, Stahl became well known for her Watergate coverage when the news broke during the Republican National Convention in 1980.