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News that CBS anchor Scott Pelley had slammed new “60 Minutes” executive producer Nick Bilton—and CBS News boss Bari Weiss—in an all-hands meeting earlier this week landed like, well, a bombshell report from the long-running news show itself. The New York Times described it as an “extraordinary exchange,” with Pelley questioning Bilton’s qualifications and alleging that Weiss was intent on “murdering” ‘60 Minutes’ entirely.

Pelley was subsequently fired by the network.

The reaction among the media class was immediate—and almost entirely unified: Pelley was a hero. He was standing up to the attempts by Weiss and Bilton to turn ‘60 Minutes’ and, more broadly, CBS, into an arm of the Trump administration.

Social media was quickly filled with encomiums to Pelley and his “courage.” The narrative was set: Pelley is standing up for capital “J” journalism, which Bilton and Weiss are actively trying to destroy in the name of kissing Donald Trump’s ass. (David Ellison, who owns CBS News and its parent company Paramount, is friendly with President Donald Trump and he has, since having taken over the network, at a minimum, moved aggressively to be less openly confrontational with the president.)

But that rush to crown Pelley is not only misguided, I’d argue—and it totally misses the real point here.

Before I make my case, let me offer a few caveats: I do not know Pelley, Weiss or Bilton. I truly have no rooting interest here. I am also a giant fan of ‘60 Minutes.” My parents watched it every Sunday night when I was a kid. Since I got into journalism, my........

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