Student Journalist Bravely Calls Out CBS News After Receiving Mike Wallace Scholarship At News Emmys—And We're Cheering

A student journalist is getting thunderous applause after bravely lambasting CBS's capitulation to the Trump regime during his acceptance speech at the News Emmys.Santiago Campos, a senior at District of Columbia International School in DC, was awarded the Mike Wallace Memorial Scholarship, created in honor of the legendary CBS journalist of the same name.Campos, after being presented his award by CBS's Scott Pelley, thanked the network for its gift but then quickly pivoted to calling out the appalling direction the network has taken since Trump re-took office last year. Nearly every American media network has bent the knee to Trump to some degree, but none more than CBS, which has turned into something akin to state media since being taken over by right-wing propagandist and Trump acolyte Bari Weiss.Campos, standing before a room full of the most powerful people in news, plainly called this what it is: a stain on Wallace's legacy and journalism itself.Campos called out in particular the network's slant in favor of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying:While I want to thank CBS news for funding this generous gift towards my education, I want to also acknowledge how the recent direction of the outlet stains the legacy of Mike Wallace, the namesake of this scholarship......So, if at any time you hesitate to utter the word genocide or remain silent in the face of blatant lies. Remember to ask yourself, Who is this for?There's little doubt of Weiss's answer to that question—it's for Donald Trump. But most of those who remain at the network since Weiss's takeover once had reputations as some of the most august journalists in the country.There are blaring signs that that is changing: CBS's ratings have plummeted since Weiss's takeover, which has seen both the network's morning news show CBS Mornings and CBS Nightly News take decidedly more Trump-friendly stances.Weiss was also embroiled in scandal in December after killing a 60 Minutes story detailing the human rights abuses at the El Salvador CECOT detention center where the Trump Administration has sent scores of deportees. Weiss's decision came just 36 hours before the segment was set to air, after it had already been thoroughly fact-checked and approved by the network's legal department.It was hard not to hear echoes of this kind of egregiously anti-democratic journalism in Campos' speech:“As corporate elites take hold over the very pipes through which our information flows, journalism that serves people becomes increasingly harder to come by, yet ever more crucial, and what the people want is the truth.It was even harder not to hear the cheers that went up from the crowd of journalists as Campos delivered his speech.Pelley, who has been openly critical of Weiss, likewise took the mic to praise Campos after his speech.“We look forward to seeing your work in the future. God, we need young people like you right behind us. I know that Mike Wallace is looking down at you with pride at this very moment.”Pelley also praised his now-former 60 Minutes colleague Sharyn Alfonsi, who was fired by Weiss that very same day over her CECOT report.On social media, journalists and non-journalists alike applauded Campos for being willing to speak truth to power. Here's hoping more people in the journalism field figure out how to locate the kind of courage and moral clarity this student has.