CBS producer quits as Trump’s lawsuit over 60 Minutes special comes to a head
In this DML Report…
Bill Owens resigned as executive producer of CBS’s “60 Minutes” after 37 years with CBS News, 24 of them with the program, citing an inability to make independent decisions. His departure comes amid a $20 billion lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against CBS, alleging the network deceptively edited an October 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris to favor her during the presidential election. Owens, who had been the third executive producer in the show’s 57-year history, stated in a memo to staff that he could no longer run the program as he believed was right for the audience, prompting his exit.
The lawsuit, filed in Texas federal court, claims CBS violated the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act by airing two different versions of Harris’ response to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—one in a “Face the Nation” preview and another in the primetime “60 Minutes” broadcast. CBS has defended the edits as standard journalistic practice, releasing the unedited transcript in February 2025 to the FCC, which found no violation. However, Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, is reportedly considering a settlement to secure Trump administration approval for its merger with Skydance Media, a move Owens and CBS News chief Wendy McMahon opposed, with Owens refusing to apologize for the segment.
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During his tenure, Owens oversaw more than 600 stories, led coverage of major events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war, and launched digital initiatives like 60MinutesOvertime.com. Tanya Simon, the program’s executive editor, is a likely candidate to replace him. The situation reflects broader tensions between media outlets and the Trump administration, as other companies like ABC and Meta have settled similar lawsuits.