60 Minutes reporter says on air 'none of us is happy' with changes that led producer to quit

David Bauder · The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 9:58 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley paid tribute Sunday to Bill Owens, the show's enforcement shaper who resigned past week, saying connected the aerial that "none of america is happy" astir the other supervision that firm leaders are imposing.

Pelley made his comments astatine the extremity of the evening's CBS News telecast, saying that successful quitting, Owens proved helium was the close idiosyncratic for the job.

"It was hard connected him and it was hard connected us," Pelley said. "But helium did it for america — and you."

His on-air connection was an antithetic peek down the scenes astatine the benignant of interior turmoil that viewers seldom get the accidental to see.

Owens, lone the 3rd apical enforcement successful the 57-year past of television's astir influential newscast, resigned past week, saying helium nary longer felt helium had the independency to tally the programme arsenic helium had successful the past, and felt necessary.

CBS News' genitor company, Paramount Global, is successful the midst of a merger with Skydance Media that needs the support of the Trump administration. Trump has sued 60 Minutes for $20 cardinal US, saying it unfairly edited a Kamala Harris interrogation past autumn to her advantage. Owens and others astatine 60 Minutes believe they did thing incorrect and person opposed a settlement.

As a result, Pelley explained to viewers connected Sunday, Paramount has begun to supervise 60 Minutes stories successful caller ways. Former CBS News president Susan Zirinsky, a longtime quality producer, has reportedly been asked to look astatine the show's stories earlier they air. 

'Independence that honorable journalism requires'

"None of our stories has been blocked," Pelley said. "But Bill felt helium mislaid the independency that honorable journalism requires. No 1 present is blessed astir it. But successful resigning, Bill proved helium was the close idiosyncratic to pb 60 Minutes all along."   

Despite this, 60 Minutes has done pugnacious stories astir the Trump medication astir each week since the inauguration successful January, galore of them reported by Pelley. On Sunday, 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi had the latest, interviewing scientists astir cutbacks astatine the National Institutes for Health.   

Trump was peculiarly angered by the show's telecast 2 weeks ago, saying connected societal media that CBS News should "pay a large price" for going aft him.