"But our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways."
Closing out Sunday night’s episode of 60 Minutes, longtime correspondent Scott Pelley took aim at parent company Paramount after show head Bill Owens quit, citing interference in content decisions.
"In tonight’s last minute, a note on Bill Owens, who until this past week, was executive producer of 60 Minutes. He was our boss. Bill was with CBS News nearly 40 years, 26 years at 60 Minutes. He covered the world, covered combat, the White House. His was a quest to open minds, not close them."
"Bill resigned Tuesday. It was hard on him and hard on us. But he did it for us, and you. 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. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways."
He said that no stories have been "blocked," but "Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires."
"No one here is happy about it, but in resigning, Bill proved one thing, he was the right person to lead 60 Minutes all along."
In resigning, Owens wrote in a staff memo, "over the past months, it has become clear that I 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,’ right for the audience."
"So, 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," Owens wrote.
This comes amid a $20 billion lawsuit launched by President Donald Trump against the show for “unlawful and illegal behavior” over alleged edits made to then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris' interview with the show. Per the New York Post, Paramount's controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, who has been involved in negotiations with the Trump administration, wanted Owens out.
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