Everything seemed normal in the first 98% of Sunday from “60 minutes” on CBS. But the remaining 2% may have shocked viewers.
In the “Last Minute” segment of the show, Correspondent Scott Pelley told the public of the Reverend Newsmagazine that Bill Owens, the executive producer of the program, chose to leave last week as Paramount Global, the parent of CBS News, tries the Gaza region in the Gaza region in the Gaza region.
“Paramount started to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill thought he lost independence that honest journalism,” said Pelley. “Nobody here is happy with it.”
The segment offered a rare copy of the “60 minutes” staff who criticized the management of the parent company of the Nieuwsmagazine, one of the highest rated programs of the TV and one of the most respected vehicles of journalism, and the show that are opening its inner operation for viewers who are probably not aware of them.
Owens, just the third executive producer in the nearly six-decade history of the show, surprised many last week by saying he intended to leave the program, citing an increasing lack of ability “to make independent decisions based on what was right for ’60 Minutes,’ right for the audience” as parent company Paramount Global Tries To Move Fits A Lawsuit Filed Against CBS News by President Donald Trump and Secure its Future in A Merger Withdance Media. At issue has been the interest of Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, in finding a way to move past what is perceived as a slow-walk of regulatory approval for the pending acquisition of her company by Skydance President Trump filed a suit in federal court in the Northern District of Texas in November, alleging that “60 minutes” Tried to Miskead Voters by Airing Two Different Edits of Remarks Made in an interview with Former Vice President Kamala Harris, then Trump’s rival for the White House. CBS tried to have thrown the case away, and many legal experts have expressed the idea that the legal status of the suit is thin.
Paramount set up a new low editorial supervision of CBS News in January, with Susan Zirinsky, an experienced producer and former CBS newspresident, mentioned as ‘interim -executive editor’ who was assigned to supervise standards and to help with the vet and journalistic practices. The new role was created after a series of controversies associated with CBS news reporting in various shows, including “60 minutes” and “CBS Mornings.” But the structure turned out to be alarming for people who merge “60 minutes” every week. Owens said on Tuesday that he was confronted with an increasing lack of power “to make independent decisions based on what was good for ’60 minutes’, good for the public.”
The show has enjoyed an unprecedented level of autonomy in its almost six decades, and although it has long screened its stories for legal control and compliance with the standards of journalism, it is allowed to monitor itself. Suddenly, producers were asked to include someone else in his process. In this case, Al Ortiz, a former senior producer of CBS News and head of news standards and practices, helped to control stories, according to three of the people who are familiar with the issue. In the past, Ortiz had enjoyed a warm relationship with Owens and enjoyed respect during his career, but his new presence let the show producers feel that they were followed by outsiders with motivations that were not entirely focused on the program. The dismissal of Owens is seen by ’60 minutes’ employees as a warning signal for companies about the possible erosion of the credibility of the news magazine.
“Bill resigned on Tuesday. It was difficult for him and it was difficult for us,” Pelley said. “But he did it for us.”
More come …