Scott Pelley

After covering some of the most compelling and important national stories of the last 20 years, CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor and 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley is one of the most recognizable faces in American journalism today. In 1989, he became a national reporter for CBS News, eventually moving on to become CBS’s chief White House correspondent, where he covered the biggest domestic stories of the 1990s. As an Emmy Award-winning journalist, he has covered the major events and moving stories that have captured the attention of the American people. He has interviewed world leaders such as George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his presentations incorporate poignant stories gained from more than 300 60 Minutes features. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Scott Pelley provides audiences with his expert and nuanced perspective from a career spent on the frontlines of history.

Covering the Contemporary World. During Pelley’s time as chief White House correspondent, he covered the investigation of President Clinton, breaking many original stories in the process. He also reported on a wide array of domestic and foreign stories from the White House. In 2006 and 2007 Pelley filed reports on the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. In a review of the story, the Washington Times wrote, “The legacy of Edward R. Murrow lives at CBS in the daring, long-range investigations of Scott Pelley.” He has also covered events ranging from child homelessness in Florida to the aftermath of Japan’s natural disaster.

The Baltimore Sun called Pelley the “single face of the broadcast,” noting that he is trusted with the “biggest interviews and stories.” Allen Neuharth, founder of USA Today, noted that “Pelley threw hardballs” in his 2007 interview with President Bush, and Bob Woodward, writing in The Washington Post said, “Scott Pelley nailed the crucial question” in his interview with former CIA Director, George Tenet. Salon.com said, “He restores a little of our faith in TV news while performing hugely important, world-bettering reports along the way.”

Award-Winning Coverage. Pelley’s reporting on the deaths of civilians during a Marine engagement in Haditha, Iraq won the 2007 George Foster Peabody Award. In 2009, Pelley won his second Peabody Award for a report on the medical relief organization, Remote Area Medical. Also in 2009, Pelley won the George Polk Award and an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award for an investigation of American recycling companies that secretly ship hazardous waste to China. Pelley received a 1996 Emmy Award for his work on the TWA Flight 800 disaster and a 1994 Emmy for his reporting on the Branch Davidian conflict. His 2007 Darfur report was honored with another Emmy Award, and he and his team have also earned 11 other Emmys. He was honored with the Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Award for his reports on a midair jumbo jet collision outside Delhi, India. Pelley’s reporting on child slavery in India earned him the Investigative Reporters and Editors award in 1999. In addition, he has won five Edward R. Murrow Awards, bestowed by the Radio and Television News Director’s Association; the Writers Guild of America Award; a Loeb award; and a duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton, among others.

More About Scott Pelley. Before joining CBS News, he was a producer/reporter for WFAA-TV Dallas, for KXAS-TV Dallas, and for KSEL-TV Lubbock, Texas. Pelley began his journalism career at age 15 as a copy-boy at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper. Pelley attended journalism school at Texas Tech University, and he was inducted into the Texas Tech University alumni Hall of Fame; he also serves on the board of the university’s School of Mass Communications.