TMC
04-22-2025, 06:12 PM
...journalistic independence
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/business/media/cbs-60-minutes-trump-bill-owens.html
Owens — only the third 60 Minutes executive producer in its 57-year history, who has been in his job since 2019 — told his staff in a memo today, obtained by The New York Times, that “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. As The Times' Michael M. Grynbaum notes, "60 Minutes has faced mounting pressure in recent months from both President Trump, who sued CBS for $10 billion and has accused the program of 'unlawful and illegal behavior,' and its own corporate ownership at Paramount, the parent company of CBS News. Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, is eager to secure the Trump administration’s approval for a multibillion-dollar sale of her company to Skydance, a company run by the son of the tech billionaire Larry Ellison. She has expressed a desire to settle Mr. Trump’s case, which stems from what the president has called a deceptively edited interview in October with Vice President Kamala Harris that aired on 60 Minutes." Since January, Owens has also been in charge of CBS Evening News (https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/norah-odonnell-cbs-evening-news-exit-january-24-1236218284/), leading an overhaul in wake of Norah O'Donnell's departure. It's unclear if Owens will continue as executive producer at CBS Evening News.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/business/media/cbs-60-minutes-trump-bill-owens.html
Owens — only the third 60 Minutes executive producer in its 57-year history, who has been in his job since 2019 — told his staff in a memo today, obtained by The New York Times, that “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. As The Times' Michael M. Grynbaum notes, "60 Minutes has faced mounting pressure in recent months from both President Trump, who sued CBS for $10 billion and has accused the program of 'unlawful and illegal behavior,' and its own corporate ownership at Paramount, the parent company of CBS News. Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, is eager to secure the Trump administration’s approval for a multibillion-dollar sale of her company to Skydance, a company run by the son of the tech billionaire Larry Ellison. She has expressed a desire to settle Mr. Trump’s case, which stems from what the president has called a deceptively edited interview in October with Vice President Kamala Harris that aired on 60 Minutes." Since January, Owens has also been in charge of CBS Evening News (https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/norah-odonnell-cbs-evening-news-exit-january-24-1236218284/), leading an overhaul in wake of Norah O'Donnell's departure. It's unclear if Owens will continue as executive producer at CBS Evening News.