With his program associated with a bitter disagreement with President Donald Trump, the magnate at the storied CBS News reveal “60 Minutes” quickly resigned on Tuesday while stating he’s losing the liberty to run it individually.
Expense Owens, executive manufacturer of tv’s most popular and prominent newsmagazine given that 2019, stated in a note to personnel that it has actually “ended up being clear that I would not be enabled to run the program as I have constantly run it, to make independent choices based upon what was best for ’60 Minutes,’ best for the audience.”
” The program is too essential to the nation,” he composed. “It needs to continue, simply not with me as the executive manufacturer.”
Trump took legal action against “60 Minutes” for $20 billion last fall, declaring it stealthily modified an interview with his Democratic election challenger Kamala Harris. CBS rejected it had actually done anything to offer a benefit to Harris, and launched the complete records of its interview.
When Trump took workplace for his 2nd term, his Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, revealed CBS would be examined for the very same problem.
At the very same time, CBS moms and dad Paramount Global, run by Shari Redstone, is looking for approval for a merger with Skydance Media, established by Larry Ellison. They are supposedly in mediation to settle the suit with Trump, a possibility that has actually been bitterly opposed by Owens and others at “60 Minutes.”
With this background, “60 Minutes” has actually run an amazing series of hard stories about the brand-new administration given that it took workplace. The president madly knocked the program on social networks after its April 13 episode included crucial stories about Ukraine and Greenland, stating CBS needs to “pay a huge rate” for pursuing him.
Owens was the 3rd executive manufacturer at the Sunday night newsmagazine, understood for its ticking stop-watch. Just Don Hewitt, the program’s creator, and Jeff Fager preceded him. Owens did not instantly call back looking for discuss Tuesday. Owens has actually operated at CBS News for 37 years, 25 of them at “60 Minutes.”
” Having actually protected this program– and what we represent– from every angle, gradually with whatever I could, I am stepping aside so the program can move on,” he stated in the memo.
CBS News’ magnate, Wendy McMahon, stated in a declaration that Owens “has actually led ’60 Minutes’ with steady stability, interest and a deep dedication to the fact. He has actually promoted the sort of journalism that notifies, informs and frequently alters the nationwide discussion.”
It was not instantly clear if any specific occasion set off the choice, or if Owens was informed he needed to leave.
” 60 Minutes” is notoriously insular, run as an independent fiefdom within CBS News, and Owens stated that McMahon concurs that he needs to be changed by an existing manufacturer there. His leading deputy is Tanya Simon, child of the late “60 Minutes” reporter Bob Simon.
Trump has actually fought journalism on numerous levels given that taking workplace once again. The FCC is examining numerous media business, the administration is working to close down Voice of America and other government-run outlets, and The Associated Press has actually taken legal action against the administration for minimizing its access to occasions since it has actually not relabelled the Gulf of Mexico in line with Trump’s executive order.
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David Bauder blogs about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social