CBS News’ 60 Minutes ended this evening with a segment on the surprise departure of executive producer Bill Owens, a move that has drawn a great deal of consternation in the news division over what’s ahead with parent company Paramount Global‘s efforts to merge with Skydance.
“Stories we pursued for 57 years are often controversial — lately the Israel-Gaza war and the Trump administration,” correspondent Scott Pelley told viewers. “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. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he had lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
Pelley added, “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.”
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Owens announced his exit last week, telling staffers that he lost the ability to make “independent decisions” about the show.
More to come.
