Bill Owens, former executive producer of “60 Minutes,” in Toronto, Canada, in 2022. Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile for Collision via Getty Images
CBS News’ “60 Minutes” Sunday show ended by taking aim at parent company Paramount over former executive producer Bill Owens‘ departure last week.
The big picture: CBS’ Scott Pelley said in the segment that Paramount “is trying to complete a merger” the Trump administration “must approve” and it “began to supervise our content in new ways,” adding: “None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
- The rare rebuke of Paramount on the show comes after CBS veteran Owens wrote in a staff memo obtained by outlets including Axios that it had become clear in the past few months that he “would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for ’60 Minutes.'”
- Paramount is considering settling a $20 billion lawsuit from President Trump over an interview with former Vice President Harris, per Axios’ Kerry Flynn and Sara Fischer.
- CBS is under pressure to resolve its legal battle as it awaits regulatory approval for a merger between Paramount and Skydance Media, according to the Axios media journalists.
Zoom in: Pelley noted during the “Last Minute” segment that the stories “60 Minutes had pursued for 57 years “are often controversial,” pointing to recent reports on the Trump administration and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
- “Bill made sure they were accurate and fair,” Pelley said before noting there had been a change in recent days.
- He added that “no one” at “60 Minutes” is happy about Owens’ departure, “but in resigning, Bill proved one thing: he was the right person to lead ’60 Minutes’ all along.”
- Representatives for Paramount did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment in the evening.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
