In a rare move, correspondent Scott Pelley informed the audience that Owens decided to leave after Paramount Global, CBS News’ parent company, introduced new layers of editorial supervision, raising concerns about the program’s journalistic independence.
“Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways,” Pelley said. “None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires. No one here is happy about it.”
Owens’ decision came amid a broader corporate shakeup. In January, Paramount appointed Susan Zirinsky, a veteran producer and former CBS News president, as interim executive editor tasked with overseeing journalistic standards.
Additionally, former CBS News senior producer Al Ortiz was brought in to help vet stories. Although Ortiz had long enjoyed a good relationship with Owens and was widely respected, his new role left many “60 Minutes” producers feeling that outside supervision was creeping into a newsroom that had traditionally operated with autonomy.
The internal changes coincided with external pressures. Paramount is facing a federal lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump, who alleges “60 Minutes” misrepresented remarks made by former Vice President Kamala Harris during a 2024 interview.
At the same time, Paramount is seeking regulatory approval for a merger with Skydance Media, backed by controlling shareholder Shari Redstone. According to Owens, the growing influence of corporate concerns over editorial decisions created an environment where he “could no longer make independent decisions based on what was right for ’60 Minutes’ and the audience.”
Reactions within “60 Minutes” have been strong. Veteran correspondent Lesley Stahl told Variety she had observed “interference in our news processes,” stressing that “companies that own news organizations should not be acting this way.”
The choice of Pelley to deliver the message on-air carried symbolic weight. Pelley has a history of challenging CBS management, notably claiming in a 2019 interview that he lost his role as anchor of “CBS Evening News” after complaining internally about a hostile workplace environment. His close bond with Owens, formed during their years reporting from conflict zones like Iraq, added a personal dimension to Sunday’s message.
60 Minutes directly calls out its parent company, Paramount, following the resignation of executive producer Bill Owens pic.twitter.com/KL9XSM35se
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 28, 2025
“Bill resigned on Tuesday,” Pelley told viewers. “It was hard on him and it was hard on us. But he did it for us.”