More Chaos at CBS News, Fox to Purchase Roku, BBC Plans Job Cuts: June’s Media News Recap

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s roundup of the biggest media stories from the past month.

Our team has been tracking the big news happening in media and journalism throughout June. Below, you’ll find a recap of the month’s must-see stories, from continued turmoil at CBS News to findings from the 2026 Digital News Report and the latest press access changes implemented at the Pentagon.

Keep reading to catch up.

CBS News Terminates Scott Pelley’s Contract After Verbal Confrontation With New ‘60 Minutes’ Executive Producer

In early June, veteran 60 Minutes and CBS News correspondent Scott Pelley was fired. The news came days after reports of Pelley’s verbal confrontation with new executive producer Nick Bilton.

During Bilton’s first meeting with staff, Pelley said that CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss was “murdering” the show and questioned Bilton’s qualifications to run the show. The confrontation adds to the scrutiny of CBS’s news division and whether it is being influenced by corporate concerns.

In his letter to Pelley, Bilton wrote, “Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear. And I have heard you. I therefore write on behalf of CBS News to inform you that your employment with CBS is terminated for cause effective immediately.” (Deadline)

Related reading:

• Dozens of journalists, including Dan Rather, wrote a letter urging David Ellison to protect CBS News’ editorial independence. (The Wrap)
• Days after the Pelley news broke, Bilton sent a memo to staff promising to maintain the show’s independence. (New York Times)
• David Ellison promised the same. (New York Times)
• The show’s three remaining correspondents—Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim—said they will remain with the newsmagazine. (Wall Street Journal)
• Sources reported that Paramount held preliminary talks with several candidates for a business-side counterpart to Bari Weiss. (Axios)
• Bilton brought in TV production consultant Kelly Funke to help manage his transition to the newsroom. (Reuters)
• Journalists at CNN are cautiously watching what’s happening at CBS News as Paramount plans to close its acquisition of CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. (New York Times)

Fox to buy Roku for $22 billion

Fox Corporation announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Roku in a cash-and-stock deal valued at roughly $22 billion. The deal will combine Roku’s free ad-supported channel with Tubi, Fox’s free ad-supported service, to create a powerful streaming offering. Roku reaches 100 million households globally.

“This is a defining moment for FOX, and a natural extension of the deliberate and focused strategy we have been executing for nearly a decade. In 2019, we reoriented the company around live news and sports,” Fox executive chair and CEO Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement.

The deal has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is expected to close in the first half of 2027. (Axios)

In other deal news from June:

• The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division signed off on Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. (POLITICO)
• Penske Media Corp. has acquired Vox Media brands Eater, The Verge, SB Nation, Popsugar, The Dodo, Punch and Thrillist. (Variety)
• iHeartRadio partnered with LG Electronics to bring its over-the-air and digital stations to LG’s free ad-supported audio streaming service. (InsideRadio)
• Versant Media, which owns MS NOW and CNBC, announced a Series A investment in GammaTime, a microdrama streaming platform. (Variety)
• LabX Media Group has acquired Scientific American, one of the world’s most established and respected science media brands. (PRWeb)

2026 Digital News Report released

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford released its 2026 Digital News Report, a much-anticipated look at the state of the industry around the world. While the 2025 report found relative stability among the tracked indicators, this year’s report shows greater volatility. “We see a range of responses: anxiety, disengagement, and cynicism, but also openness to new sources and formats, and continued belief in what news at its best can offer,” researcher Jim Egan wrote in his summary of the report.

Among the findings:

• Trust in news is at the lowest level ever recorded by the report: 37%.
• For the first time in the report’s history, social media and video networks are the most widely used way of accessing online news.
• Ten percent of people use AI chatbots for news, up from 7% last year.
• Around a quarter (27%) of respondents globally get some news from news-focused individual creators or influencers, and almost half (46%) get some news from creators of any type.

(Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism)

Other research released in June includes:

• Americans say keeping up with key news topics is crucial. But fewer say they’re highly informed themselves. (Pew Research Center)
• The BBC is the most-visited news website in the world in any language, according to a new ranking. (Press Gazette)
• A new report reveals local news shortage is costing communities $1.1 billion a year. (Editor & Publisher)
• Three times as many fact-checkers closed their doors as opened them last year. (Duke Reporters’ Lab)
• YouGov’s 2026 Trust in Media survey found that The Weather Channel is the most trusted news source. (YouGov)

Pentagon press office is now a classified area and off-limits to reporters

On June 1, the Defense Department announced that the Pentagon press office is now considered a classified space to make room for speechwriters who handle sensitive material. “As a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space,” Joel Valdez, the acting press secretary, said in a statement. “There’s nothing controversial about that.”

DOD public affairs officers have worked in the press room for decades. It has been open to reporters to ask questions, conduct interviews and meet with defense officials, not to discuss classified information. The announcement was the latest in a series of increasingly restrictive press guidelines implemented under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (POLITICO)

In related news:

• A new lawsuit alleges that recent Pentagon actions targeting Stars and Stripes violate federal law and should be blocked. (Stars and Stripes)
• The White House Correspondents’ Association is rescheduling its annual dinner for July 24 with “enhanced safety measures.” (Deadline)
• FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend has sued MS NOW for “false portrayal.” (NBC News)
• The FCC received over 16,000 messages as it evaluates ABC’s petition that “The View” should qualify as a “bona fide” news program, with many in support of the show. (The Wrap)

BBC to Cut 550 Jobs and Reduce Commissioning Spend by More Than $100 Million as Part of Savings Plan, New Director General Says

In a memo to staff, new BBC director general Matt Brittin announced that 550 roles would be eliminated across the News, Nations and Content divisions by the start of 2027-28. The layoffs, in addition to spending cuts to commissioning programs and series, are part of Brittin’s goal to shave $670 million of spending over the next three years.

Voluntary redundancy will be available to staff members. Programs to be taken off air in the coming year include “The World Tonight,” which has been running since 1970, “Midnight News,” “Money Box Live,” “AntiSocial,” “The Law Show” and “Crossing Continents.” The BBC will also be evaluating its chief presenter roles and on-air editor roles in newsrooms to help meet savings goals. (Variety)

In other workforce news:

• The Minnesota Star Tribune is cutting 65 jobs and pursuing a nonprofit ownership structure.
• Dow Jones plans to merge Publishing Editors and Platform Editors into “a single multiskilled digital production department” and will eliminate 10 positions as part of the plan. (Talking Biz News)
• The Centre Daily Times, a local Pennsylvania outlet, is the first newsroom under The NewsGuild-CWA to unionize in response to AI adoption. (NiemanLab)
• Journalists at Sherwood News, the media arm of Robinhood, were among those laid off as part of the brokerage giant’s 10% staff reduction. (InvestmentNews)
• As part of its plan to implement a “faster is better” approach, iHeartMedia is preparing for a new round of layoffs. (Barrett Media)

Bonus Reads

Here are a few other must-see stories from June:

• Publishers that collectively own and operate nearly 400 newspapers are suing OpenAI and Microsoft for scraping their content without permission or compensation. (Bloomberg Law)
• POLITICO Magazine is relaunching as a weekly publication. (POLITICO)
• The Onion isn’t waiting for the courts to debut the new Infowars. (MS NOW)
• The Atlantic is expanding its slate of video podcasts. (Semafor)
• The New York Times is growing its team in Texas. (New York Times)

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