One of the veteran journalists on CBS’ “60 Minutes“ rebuked the company that owns the network on the air Sunday night.
The Ownership Conflict
Speaking at the end of the program, CBS veteran Scott Pelley addressed the resignation of executive producer Bill Owens by saying: “Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
Pelley, one of the show’s current hosts, added: “No one here is happy about it.”
There’s been widespread speculation that Paramount Global, led by Shari Redstone, has tried to rein in the network’s most-acclaimed news program as it seeks regulatory approval for a merger with the company Skydance. Pelley did nothing to dispel that idea.
The Impact on Reporting
“Stories we pursued for 57 years are often controversial — lately the Israel-Gaza war and the Trump administration,” Pelley said. “Bill made sure they were accurate and fair. He was tough that way, but our parent company Paramount is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it.”
In a memo subsequently obtained by the New York Times, Owens told staffers last week that he was stepping down because he believed he could no longer run the program as he saw fit. “Having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward,” he wrote.
A Brief History of ‘60 Minutes’
“60 Minutes” debuted in 1968 and from 1991 to 1994 was the top-rated program on network television, outdrawing every single entertainment program in prime time. Its present and former hosts include Mike Wallace, Morley Safer, Dan Rather, Diane Sawyer, and Lesley Stahl.
Trump sued “60 Minutes” after the 2024 elections over an interview that it did with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, claiming the segment was misleadingly edited. He has also repeatedly attacked the program on social media over the years.
