
‘60 Minutes’ criticizes Paramount on air after its longtime producer quits
CNN
CBS News’ ‘“60 Minutes” addressed the surprise exit of its longtime executive producer Bill Owens on Sunday’s program, with anchor Scott Pelley saying that “no one is happy” about his departure.
CBS News’ ‘“60 Minutes” addressed the surprise exit of its longtime executive producer Bill Owens on Sunday’s program, with anchor Scott Pelley saying that “no one is happy” about his departure. In an extraordinarily blunt final segment of the news magazine show, Pelley revealed that CBS’ parent company Paramount “began to supervise our content in new ways” as it tries to complete a merger with Skydance Media, with Pelley adding that Owens “felt he had lost the independence that honest journalism requires.” Owens announced last week he was leaving “60 Minutes” after 24 years with the program and 37 years at CBS News. No replacement was immediately named. Pelley said that topics the show has pursued in its roughly 60-year history are “often controversial,” noting recent stories have included Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and the Trump administration. “Bill made sure they were accurate and fair,” Pelley said. “He was tough that way, but our parent company Paramount is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it.” He added: “None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he had lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”













