Posted in: CBS, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: 60 minutes, opinion, trump

60 Minutes EP Resigns: Not Allowed "To Make Independent Decisions"

Amid the ongoing Trump legal battles, The New York Times reports that CBS's 60 Minutes EP Bill Owens has tendered his resignation.

It would appear that the ongoing battle between Donald Trump and his administration and CBS News' 60 Minutes has claimed a very high-profile victim. The New York Times is reporting that the news magazine's EP, Bill Owens, has tendered his resignation, addressing his decision in a memo to his staff that was obtained by the NYT. "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," Owens reportedly shared in the memo. "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."

Owens' decision comes as the court battle between both sides continues to escalate. It also comes at a time when Paramount's controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, is looking to finalize a sale to Skydance—one that would require the Trump administration's signature. "'60 Minutes' will continue to cover the new administration, as we will report on future administrations," Owens added. "The show is too important to the country. It has to continue, just not with me as the executive producer."

"60 Minutes" & Donald Trump: A Timeline

In October 2024, the long-running news magazine aired its traditional primetime election special – focusing solely on VP Kamala Harris and her VP pick, Gov. Tim Walz. But before the special aired, news anchor Scott Pelley addressed why Trump was not a part of it. After noting that plans were for an interview with Trump to take place at Mar-A-Lago and to film Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Pelley noted that Steven Cheung, Trump's communications director, was in communication with the news magazine about finalizing plans. According to Pelley, that changed a week prior to the special airing, when the Trump campaign backed out and began offering "shifting explanations" as to the reason,

Those "explanations" ranged from the campaign taking issue with Trump's and JD Vance's words being fact-checked to Trump needing "an apology for his interview in 2020." The interview that he's referencing was with correspondent Lesley Stahl, with Trump claiming that Stahl said that the controversy surrounding Hunter Biden's laptop originated in Russia (Pelley: "She never said that"). "Trump has said his opponent doesn't do interviews because she can't handle them. He had previously declined another debate with Harris. So tonight may have been the largest audience for the candidates between now and Election Day," Pelley added.

After the interview with Harris aired, Trump began accusing 60 Minutes of manipulating the interview, editing it to make VP Harris look good. Well, the long-running news magazine wasn't about to let those accusations go unanswered. "Former President Donald Trump is accusing '60 Minutes' of deceitful editing of our Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. That is false," the CBS show posted in a statement. "'60 Minutes' gave an excerpt of our interview to 'Face the Nation' that used a longer section of her answer than that on '60 Minutes.' Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response. When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point. The portion of her answer on '60 Minutes' was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide-ranging 21-minute-long segment."

From there, 60 Minutes reminded everyone of who was responsible for Trump not being interviewed – Trump. "Remember, Mr. Trump pulled out of his interview with '60 Minutes,' and the vice president participated. Our long-standing invitation to former President Trump remains open. If he would like to discuss the issues facing the nation and the Harris interview, we would be happy to have him on 60 Minutes."

In February 2025, the news program posted online all of the materials that it handed over to the FCC – including full transcripts and video from three separate interviews. "We are posting the same transcripts and videos of our interview with Vice President Kamala Harris that we provided to the FCC. They show – consistent with '60 Minutes" repeated assurances to the public – that the '60 Minutes' broadcast was not doctored or deceitful. In reporting the news, journalists regularly edit interviews – for time, space, or clarity. In making these edits, '60 Minutes' is always guided by the truth and what we believe will be most informative to the viewing public – all while working within the constraints of broadcast television," began the statement on the post that went live on the CBS News website earlier today (which you can check out here).

"The issue here concerns one question from 60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris:  whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is listening to the Biden-Harris Administration," the statement continued. "We broadcast a longer portion of the vice president's answer on 'Face the Nation' and broadcast a shorter excerpt from the same answer on '60 Minutes' the next day. Each excerpt reflects the substance of the vice president's answer. As the full transcript shows, we edited the interview to ensure that as much of the vice president's answers to '60 Minutes" many questions were included in our original broadcast while fairly representing those answers. '60 Minutes" hard-hitting questions of the vice president speak for themselves."

From there, the long-running news show included links to three full-length transcripts of interviews with VP Harris, including the one at her residence, the one that was a "walk and talk" with VP Harris, and the one with VP Harris and former Congresswoman Liz Cheney. In addition, there were links to videos of each of those three interview sessions – as well as a link providing all of the transcripts that were provided to the FXX ("many of which are duplicates that reflect audio from additional camera angles").

In March, Paramount and CBS filed two motions to dismiss the lawsuit, calling it an "affront to the First Amendment." The following month, their lawyers filed another motion asking the plaintiffs to produce the documents requested in discovery. "Despite their insistence that discovery move forward, Plaintiffs have shown very little desire to produce their own documents, relying on unfounded objections and delay tactics," Paramount and CBS's lawyers stated.

Earlier this month, Trump targeted Paramount Global, CBS News, and CBS's 60 Minutes once again – this time, for two reports on Sunday evening broadcast. "Almost every week, 60 Minutes, which is being sued for Billions of Dollars for the fraud they committed in the 2024 Presidential Election with their Interview of Failed Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, mentions the name 'TRUMP' in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend's 'BROADCAST' tops them all," Trump ranted online.

From there, Trump dragged his "greatest hits" of whackjob conspiracy theories, claiming about the newsmagazine's interview with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky that the war in Ukraine "would never have happened if the 2020 Election had not been RIGGED, in other words, if I were President" (a completely unfounded claim) and that his administration's position in a segment on Greenland was presented "falsely, inaccurately and fraudulently" (despite previous on-the-record comments from Trump's folks about what their plans for Greenland were).

Trump went on to sing his own praises about his lawsuit, even calling on the Federal Censorship Commissar (sorry… must've misread something…) COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSIONER Brendan Carr to help him with his hurt feelings by imposing "maximum fines and punishment, which is substantial, for their unlawful and illegal behavior." In a striking bit of irony and projecting, Trump added, "CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before, and they should pay a big price for this."

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