Scott Pelley of “60 Minutes” took to the airwaves Sunday night to criticize changes made by Paramount and the subsequent resignation of the show’s executive producer.
“Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways,” the correspondent, Pelley of the show’s parent company said. “None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
Pelley was referring to the program’s executive producer, Bill Owens, who recently announced his intention to resign, The New York Times reported.
Owens announced to the staff on Tuesday when he said he was leaving the show. He cited disagreements with Paramount and said, “It’s clear the company is done with me.”
Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount, has been trying to get in the good graces of President Donald Trump, who sued the show last year over an interview it had done with presidential hopeful — then Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump claimed the interview was heavily edited.
Pelley noted Owens’s resignation was due to his desire to protect “60 Minutes,” as well as journalism.
“He did it for us and you,” Pelley said. “Stories we pursued for 57 years are often controversial — 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. The Trump administration must approve it.”
That merger involves the multibillion-dollar sale of Redstone’s media company to a studio run by the son of Larry Ellison, a tech billionaire. Mediation is expected to start in the merger this week.
In January, “60 Minutes” ran a story about the war between Israel and Hamas that Redstone complained was biased. CBS then appointed a veteran producer to uphold journalistic standards.
