Key facts
- WGA East president Tom Fontana criticized CBS News actions.
- The union president decried recent layoffs as 'cruel and needless'.
- Fontana also criticized the firing of '60 Minutes' correspondent Scott Pelley.
- The shutdown of CBS News Radio was also mentioned.
- Fontana characterized these actions as an 'assault' on CBS News.
Tom Fontana, president of the Writers Guild of America East, has strongly criticized Paramount-owned CBS News for a series of recent actions. In a message to union members, Fontana decried what he called 'cruel and needless layoffs,' the firing of '60 Minutes' correspondent Scott Pelley, and the decision to shut down CBS News Radio. Fontana characterized these moves as 'assaults' on CBS News, an institution he believes is being undermined by these decisions. The union's statement highlights significant internal conflict and dissatisfaction with the management's direction.