CBS News staffers sent a letter to Trump-aligned boss David Ellison to demand he uphold journalistic values, Ben Mullins, The New York Times’ media editor, shared Monday on X.

“Modernizing the show for new audiences and new delivery approaches is important – but not at the cost of editorial integrity,” part of the letter reads. “The wholesale dismissal of editorial management, without a public pledge to maintain the values, standards, and traditions of this program, puts the legacy of ’60 Minutes’ in jeopardy.”

The letter is signed by current and former “60 Minutes” staffers, as well as other prominent journalists and actors, including Dan Rather, Glenn Close, Alex Gibney and Lowell Bergman.

The letter follows a massive shakeup at “60 Minutes” and festering questions about the future of the venerable news program. HuffPost reached out to CBS News for comment.

Ellison, the CEO of CBS overlord Paramount Skydance, has put the apparent Trumpification of the Tiffany network in the hands of CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.

Breaker Media’s Lachlan Cartwright first announced the letter Sunday on MS NOW.

“As I was just coming on air tonight, guys, I was made aware from sources of a letter that has been put together that will go out tomorrow to David Ellison from CBS News staffers,” Cartwright said. “And just quoting from that, they are asking David Ellison to ‘respect editorial values and independent journalism.’ ... There was a letter meant to go out last year. They decided at that point not to do it. But this letter is going to go out tomorrow to David Ellison from the staffers — because people I speak to within CBS are absolutely distraught about what is going on here.”

Anderson Cooper made a veiled plea for “60 Minutes” to maintain its integrity and independence in a farewell message during an online “60 Minutes Overtime” episode. That he was able to get the message out reportedly infuriated Weiss, because she did not get a heads-up. (Cooper may become an employee of Ellison again when Paramount Skydance completes its purchase of CNN’s parent company.)

“60 Minutes” producer Tanya Simon, who reportedly ticked off Weiss for allowing Cooper’s speech, was dismissed, along with correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.

Alfonsi spoke out against higher-ups when her segment on a notorious prison that housed Trump administration deportees was pulled (but later aired).

Cartwright noted the ratings for “60 Minutes” are up. “If it ain’t broke, why are they fixing it?” he asked.

He brought up a chat he had with “60 Minutes” alum Steve Kroft, who tied the revamp to Ellison bowing to Trump.

“[Kroft] said to me, ‘While there’s no smoking gun. Trump’s DNA is all over this,’” Cartwright said. “And look, we do know — and this is from my reporting — I first broke the secret dinner that David Ellison was having for Trump to honor Trump and the Trump White House before the White House Correspondents’ [Dinner], in light of the other deal that’s meant to go through for Warner Brothers Discovery. What else do we know? We know that Donald Trump has always raged against ‘60 Minutes.’ He sued the show for $10 billion, which resulted in that settlement. And so you start having to sort of put these pieces of the puzzle together and really ask, ‘Why does this show need these very serious changes at this moment?’”

The letter ends by urging Ellison to “send a clear message” to “60 Minutes’s” staff, audience and the broader public that he does “respect and value editorial independence and press freedom.”

“What is at stake is not just the future of the most important and enduring television journalism program in this country,” the letter reads, “but the future of free and independent press in America.”

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