Maher: I Don’t Feel Like Scott Pelley Was A National Treasure, “60 Minutes Has A New Cast”
HBO host Bill Maher argued the changes at “60 Minutes” are not overtures to President Trump or politically related on Friday’s episode of “Real Time.” Maher and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) tussled over the uproar over changes at “60 Minutes,” with the host arguing that media companies routinely change ownership and personnel. “I just don’t think being a 60 Minutes correspondent is that hard,” Maher said on the “Overtime” portion of the program. “I don’t feel like Scott Pelley was a national treasure.” “Companies change hands all the time,” Maher continued. “I never liked him. Sorry. I just never did. Companies change hands. People bring in their own people, their new ownership. You know, just because something changes doesn’t mean… I feel like we see everything through such a partisan lens.” “‘Oh my God, ’60 Minutes’ has a new cast!’ So does Saturday Night Live!” Maher said.
BILL MAHER: All right, he’s a Democratic Senator from Connecticut, author of Crisis of the Common Good, Senator Chris Murphy, and she served as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. under President Obama. Ambassador Susan Rice is here. Okay, I’m going to announce right up front, this is going to be a short one because the Nick game starts in 20 minutes. I have waited since high school and never wavered on the Nicks. High school. What does the panel think of the recent shakeup at 60 Minutes? I’m for it. Good night. What do you think of the shakeup at 60 Minutes? Big controversy. SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): Yeah, I mean, listen, you’re watching a censorship state be created. Trump is using the powers that he has available as President of the United States to install only friendly ownership at the big media companies. He’s using regulatory powers to punish people who oppose him. I guess it’s fascinating to me that like all our big institutions have kind of let us down, right, from academia to the corporate world to big media. They’ve all folded in with him. And yet we’re like five months away from an election and we might pull off a free and fair election. It’s kind of astounding that the people of this country, even as the corruption of our democracy happens in media, in the corporate world, in and around Donald Trump’s inner circle, the people have just decided they’re hanging on to this democracy. MAHER: That’s a big charge that you just made. That 60 Minutes itself and CBS itself is now completely MAGA. I don’t see it that way. MURPHY: It’s not completely MAGA. MAHER: Well, it’s kind of what you said. MURPHY: But he is clearly intent on installing people who will tell his story. MAHER: Oh, of course. MURPHY: And will keep his critics off the air. MAHER: But let me ask you this question. I watch 60 Minutes every week. I’ve had since I was a kid. If I didn’t hear all the buzz in the media, if I didn’t read about it all the time, would I ever notice that it was any different? I don’t think I would. Would you? MURPHY: It’s not just 60 Minutes. MAHER: I agree. MURPHY: And part of it is you don’t know what they choose not to air. MAHER: That’s true, too. MURPHY: Part of what the allegation is is that they are killing stories that would be embarrassing for the president. So it’s hard to know what you’re missing in a censorship environment. MAHER: But I’ve seen ones that are not very favorable to the president. MURPHY: Yeah. MAHER: That’s what I’m saying. I don’t know if I would have noticed any different if I hadn’t been reading about it. Also, I just don’t think being a 60 Minutes correspondent is that hard. I don’t feel like Scott Pelley — I don’t feel like Scott Pelley was a national treasure. Companies change hands all the time. I never liked him. Sorry. I just never did. Companies change hands. People bring in their own people, their new ownership. You know, just because something changes doesn’t mean… I feel like we see everything through such a partisan lens. Oh my God, 60 Minutes has a new cast. Start a Saturday Night Live. MURPHY: But it’s not just 60 Minutes, right? MAHER: I agree. MURPHY: They literally took down his chief late-night critic. CBS News at 6.30 does sound and feel different. So this is not just about 60 Minutes. MAHER: I feel it too. I’m part of it. I get it. But we’re just talking about 60 Minutes now. But yes, I agree. He’s a danger to media. He’s a danger to freedom of speech. But just 60 Minutes. I don’t know. And I’m not going to make that decision until I see a smoking gun. Something like, “Oh, wow.” Now we’re tick, tick, tick. Candace Owens and Alex Jones on 60 Minutes.
