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The executive producer of CBS’s long-running 60 Minutes programme has quit, telling staff he had lost his journalistic independence, as parent company Paramount considers settling a lawsuit from US President Donald Trump.
“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,” producer Bill Owens told staff in an email on Tuesday.
His exit comes as CBS faces the ire of Trump, who sued the network for $20bn for what he claims was deceptive editing of an interview last year with Kamala Harris, the former vice-president and his opponent in the 2024 election.
CBS and its lawyers have said the lawsuit is meritless. However, executives at Paramount and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone have been weighing paying a settlement or offering an apology to Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.
The debate has weighed on the CBS newsroom in recent months, as journalists have been angered by the prospect of their corporate owner paying a settlement over what they deem a bogus lawsuit.
The two sides have hired a mediator for the case, The New York Times reported this month. The talks would not begin until May 30, said a person familiar with the matter.
The legal dispute comes as Paramount waits for regulatory approval for a $8bn merger with Skydance, a Hollywood studio backed by billionaire Larry Ellison, who is a longtime friend of Trump, and run by his son, David Ellison.
Since taking office in January Trump has waged a fresh war with the news media, which he has long branded as an “enemy of the people”. Disney in December agreed to pay $15mn to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump against ABC News.
Trump last week hit out at 60 Minutes. “I am so honoured to be suing 60 Minutes, CBS Fake News, and Paramount, over their fraudulent, beyond recognition, reporting,” he posted on his Truth Social platform. “They should lose their license!”
“Bill has led 60 Minutes with unwavering integrity, curiosity, and a deep commitment to the truth,” CBS News chief executive Wendy McMahon said on Tuesday in a note to staff. “He has championed the kind of journalism that informs, enlightens, and often changes the national conversation.”
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