NEW YORK (AP) — Together with his present concerned in a bitter dispute with President Donald Trump, the highest government on the storied CBS Information present “60 Minutes” abruptly resigned on Tuesday whereas saying he is shedding the liberty to run it independently.
Invoice Owens, government producer of tv’s hottest and influential newsmagazine since 2019, mentioned in a observe to employees that 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.”
“The show is too important to the country,” he wrote. “It has to continue, just not with me as the executive producer.”
Trump sued “60 Minutes” for $20 billion final fall, claiming it deceptively edited an interview along with his Democratic election opponent Kamala Harris. CBS denied it had carried out something to present a bonus to Harris, and launched the total transcript of its interview.
When Trump took workplace for his second time period, his Federal Communications Fee chairman, Brendan Carr, introduced CBS can be investigated for a similar challenge.
On the identical time, CBS mother or father Paramount World, run by Shari Redstone, is looking for approval for a merger with Skydance Media, based by Larry Ellison. They’re reportedly in mediation to settle the lawsuit with Trump, a prospect that has been bitterly opposed by Owens and others at “60 Minutes.”
With this backdrop, “60 Minutes” has run a rare collection of robust tales in regards to the new administration because it took workplace. The president angrily denounced the present on social media after its April 13 episode featured vital tales about Ukraine and Greenland, saying CBS ought to “pay a big price” for going after him.
Owens was the third government producer on the Sunday night time newsmagazine, recognized for its ticking stopwatch. Solely Don Hewitt, the present’s founder, and Jeff Fager preceded him. Owens didn’t instantly return a name looking for touch upon Tuesday. Owens has labored at CBS Information for 37 years, 25 of them at “60 Minutes.”
“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,” he mentioned within the memo.
CBS Information’ prime government, Wendy McMahon, mentioned in an announcement that Owens “has led ‘60 Minutes’ with unwavering integrity, curiosity and a deep commitment to the truth. He has championed the kind of journalism that informs, enlightens and often changes the national conversation.”
It was not instantly clear if any explicit occasion triggered the choice, or if Owens was advised he needed to go away.
“60 Minutes” is famously insular, run as an impartial fiefdom inside CBS Information, and Owens mentioned that McMahon agrees that he must be changed by a present producer there. His prime deputy is Tanya Simon, daughter of the late “60 Minutes” correspondent Bob Simon.
Trump has battled the press on a number of ranges since taking workplace once more. The FCC is investigating a number of media firms, the administration is working to close down Voice of America and different government-run shops, and The Related Press has sued the administration for lowering its entry to occasions as a result of it has not renamed the Gulf of Mexico according to Trump’s government order.
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David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Observe him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social
