‘60 Minutes’ Gives Statement After Producer Resigns
In a stunning on-air moment that shook the foundations of broadcast journalism, veteran “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley closed Sunday’s broadcast with a powerful tribute—and a pointed rebuke. The resignation of longtime producer Bill Owens, after nearly four decades with CBS News, was not just a professional goodbye; it was a rallying cry for the embattled independence of one of America’s most iconic news programs.
Owens’ departure comes at a time of immense corporate turmoil. As Paramount, the parent company of CBS, pushes to complete a major merger that requires approval from the Trump administration, editorial independence at “60 Minutes” has come under unexpected scrutiny.
In a memo obtained by Fox News Digital, Owens made it clear: it wasn’t resigning from the job he loved that forced his hand, but the creeping influence over editorial choices that violated the core principles he had spent a career defending.
“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.”
— 60 Minutes statement on the resignation of their Executive Producer, Bill Owens. pic.twitter.com/hkzeUzyzI3
— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) April 28, 2025
“Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,” Owens wrote. His message resonated not only as a personal lament but as a cautionary tale about the fragile state of journalistic freedom in an era when corporate mergers collide with political power plays.
Scott Pelley, a consummate journalist himself, did not mince words. He praised Owens as a man driven “to open minds, not close them,” someone whose leadership inspired fierce loyalty. But he also openly acknowledged the dark cloud hanging over the newsroom: the new forms of content supervision that, while not outright censorship, undermined the independence that “60 Minutes” had long held sacred.
Paramount’s entanglement with a $20 billion lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump only raises the stakes higher. Trump accuses CBS of election interference, alleging deceptive editing of an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the crucial weeks leading up to the 2024 election.
While Paramount has agreed to mediation—a signal that a financial settlement may be imminent—the mere perception of “bending the knee” has set off alarm bells about corporate America’s willingness to compromise journalistic integrity under political pressure.
In a powerful closing line, Pelley left no room for doubt about the newsroom’s sentiment: “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.”