Bill Owens, the former executive producer of “60 Minutes,” used a New York Press Club awards ceremony on Monday night to criticize the current leadership of CBS News and warn that the long-running newsmagazine is being pushed in a more partisan direction. Owens said CBS News and “60 Minutes” are institutions that should not be staffed by “partisans and ideologues,” and he argued that recent changes have undermined the show’s independence. He said he left his role after seeing efforts by CBS News parent Paramount to interfere with the program.
Owens’ comments came after a major shake-up at “60 Minutes” tied to CBS News Editor in Chief Bari Weiss and her team, who have been working to retool the program and place Nick Bilton, a former technology writer and documentarian, in a leadership role. According to Owens, the overhaul led to the removal of multiple senior figures at once, including his successor Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. He said no explanation was given for the dismissals.
The tension around the program intensified on Tuesday, when “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley reportedly challenged Bilton and Weiss during a staff meeting. Pelley questioned their qualifications to run the newsmagazine, demanded answers about the firings, and accused Weiss of “murdering” the program. Owens backed Pelley’s reaction, saying his former colleague was defending the standards and traditions associated with the show.
Owens also drew a line between the current leadership and the legacy of past “60 Minutes” correspondents such as Ed Bradley, Mike Wallace, and Morley Safer, suggesting Pelley was acting in the spirit of those longtime journalists. He said Pelley “can smell a fraud from a mile away” and described the firings as outrageous.
Weiss, previously an opinion writer at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, later founded The Free Press, an opinion outlet known for anti-woke and conservative-leaning commentary. She was appointed last year to oversee editorial operations at CBS News by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, who also purchased The Free Press for $150 million. Owens said Weiss’s views, including her strong pro-Israel stance, had contributed to departures among CBS News staffers who believed they were not being allowed to fairly cover Middle East-related stories.
He said that when Paramount took over, his colleagues were assured they would continue covering the news as they always had, but added that promise has not been fulfilled.
