“No one here is happy.”
That was the message from “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley at the end of Sunday’s program, in which he paid tribute to departing executive producer Bill Owens, who resigned last week citing increasing corporate interference in the venerable show.
“Bill resigned Tuesday,” Pelley said. “It was hard on him and hard on us, but he did it for us and you.”
Owens had battled efforts at CBS parent company Paramount Global to settle a $20-billion lawsuit filed by President Trump regarding the network’s October interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount Global is looking to get government approval for a merger deal with David Ellison’s Skydance Media.
“Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways,” Pelley told viewers in a segment called “The Last Minute.” “None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
“60 Minutes” personnel have never been shy about addressing internal battles with the network. But presenting unhappiness over a company-related matter on the air in front of a viewing audience of millions is highly unusual.
A representative for CBS said Monday that the company had no comment on Pelley’s remarks.
According to one journalist at the network who was not authorized to speak publicly, Paramount Global majority shareholder Shari Redstone has asked for story line-ups ahead of the broadcasts in recent months. When asked if any stories had been killed, the person said, “Not yet.”
Trump’s lawsuit claiming the interview with Harris was deceptively edited is expected to go before a mediator this week.
But since it was filed, “60 Minutes” has continued to aggressively cover the Trump White House. Sunday’s edition included a segment on budget and job cuts at the National Institutes of Health and how they will harm medical research.
Owens, who is still working at the program for a few more weeks, was known for being protective of the program’s independence.
“If you’ve ever worked hard for a boss because you admired him, then you understand what we’ve enjoyed here,” Pelley said.
