60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley paid tribute Sunday to Bill Owens, the show’s executive producer who resigned last week, saying on the air that “none of us is happy” about the extra supervision that corporate leaders are imposing.
Pelley made his comments at the end of the evening’s CBS News telecast, saying that in quitting, Owens proved he was the right person for the job.
“It was hard on him and it was hard on us,” Pelley said. “But he did it for us — and you.”
His on-air statement was an unusual peek behind the scenes at the sort of inner turmoil that viewers seldom get the opportunity to see.
Owens, only the third top executive in the 57-year history of television’s most influential newscast, resigned last week, saying he no longer felt he had the independence to run the program as he had in the past, and felt necessary.
CBS News’ parent company, Paramount Global, is in the midst of a merger with Skydance Media that needs the approval of the Trump administration. Trump has sued 60 Minutes for $20 billion US, saying it unfairly edited a Kamala Harris interview last fall to her advantage. Owens and others at 60 Minutes believe they did nothing wrong and have opposed a settlement.
As a result, Pelley explained to viewers on Sunday, Paramount has begun to supervise 60 Minutes stories in new ways. Former CBS News president Susan Zirinsky, a longtime news producer, has reportedly been asked to look at the show’s stories before they air.
‘Independence that honest journalism requires’
“None of our stories has been blocked,” Pelley said. “But Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires. No one here is happy about it. But in resigning, Bill proved he was the right person to lead 60 Minutes all along.”
Despite this, 60 Minutes has done tough stories about the Trump administration almost every week since the inauguration in January, many of them reported by Pelley. On Sunday, 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi had the latest, interviewing scientists about cutbacks at the National Institutes for Health.
Trump was particularly angered by the show’s telecast two weeks ago, saying on social media that CBS News should “pay a big price” for going after him.
