Scott Pelley hits out at his own network as ‘60 Minutes’ producer quits because of corporate oversight – UK Times

Scott Pelley ended Sunday night’s broadcast of 60 Minutes by issuing an on-air rebuke of his corporate bosses following the stunning departure of the show’s executive producer Bill Owens, who quit last week because he felt he no longer had editorial independence.

“It was hard on him and hard on us,” the longtime correspondent said of Owens’ resignation. “But he did it for us and you.”

Pelley’s startling admonishment of CBS News’ parent company Paramount comes as the vaunted news magazine faces continued pressure from President Donald Trump, who is suing CBS for $20 billion over his claims that 60 Minutes engaged in “unlawful and illegal behavior” with its interview of Kamala Harris.

In what at first appeared to be a simple tribute to Owens, the veteran reporter quickly shifted gears and hit out at Paramount, which is considering a settlement with Trump – despite legal experts saying his suit has little merit – in an effort to assure its upcoming merger with Skydance goes through.

“Stories we pursued for 57 years are often controversial,” Pelley noted. “Lately, the Israel-Gaza war and the Trump administration. Bill made sure they were accurate and fair. He was tough that way. But our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger.”

Noting that the “Trump administration must approve” the deal, Pelley then pulled the curtain back and revealed to the show’s viewers that Paramount chief shareholder Shari Redstone, who is desperate to seal the deal with Skydance, has installed additional editorial supervisors over 60 Minutes.

“Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires,” he concluded. “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.”

CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Pelley’s segment.

In a memo to staff on Tuesday, Owens – who had made it clear he would not apologize for the Harris interview if Paramount settled with Trump – cited the recent efforts by his corporate overlords to monitor the show’s content as the reason he needed to leave.

“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,” he wrote, adding: “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.”

Sources at CBS News said that while Owens’ sudden resignation was stunning and “everyone is in shock,” much of the staff “liked that Bill didn’t bend the knee to Trump.” With him gone, though, they are now worried that the company will cave and settle with the president even though the show did nothing wrong.

Besides looking to appease Trump with a settlement, Redstone has also recently complained about other 60 Minutes stories, specifically a January segment on the Gaza war that she felt was too harsh towards Israel. A day after that story ran, Paramount installed veteran CBS producer Susan Zirinsky to oversee journalistic and editorial standards at the network.

Meanwhile, Trump has continued to rage about 60 Minutes in recent weeks. Earlier this month, after the program aired two segments on the Ukraine war and the president’s desire to annex Greenland, the president accused the show of “fraudulent, beyond recognition, reporting” and called for the network’s license to be pulled.

“CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before, and they should pay a big price for this,” the president fumed.

Pelley isn’t the only CBS News personality to address Owens’ departure on-air. During Tuesday’s broadcast of CBS Evening News, which Owens was tasked with overhauling, co-anchors Maurice Dubois and John Dickerson also acknowledged that the producer’s resignation came amid Paramount’s efforts to obtain the administration’s approval to complete its merger.

“Owens has stood firm, insisting that 60 Minutes did nothing wrong and that he would not apologize,” Dubois stated.

“Bill Owens was also the supervising producer of this broadcast,” Dickerson added. “He’s a man of great integrity. We will always be grateful to him for his wisdom, his guidance, and above all, his friendship.”