60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley called out CBS News’ parent company live on air on Sunday.

Pelley’s statement follows the abrupt resignation last week of Bill Owens, the show’s longtime executive producer, who said he had lost the freedom to run the show independently.

“Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways,” Pelley told viewers at the end of Sunday’s broadcast. “None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”

Scott Pelley attends the CBS Fall Schedule Celebration at Paramount Studios on May 02, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. | Frazer Harrison/WireImage/WireImage

Why It Matters

CBS News’ parent company, Paramount Global, is in the midst of a merger with Skydance Media that requires the approval of the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump has sued CBS News, alleging that 60 Minutes unfairly edited an October interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris—his opponent in the 2024 presidential election—to her advantage. The network later released unedited transcripts of the interview, saying it proved the show was “not doctored or deceitful.”

Pelley framed Owens’ resignation as a bid to protect 60 Minutes from further interference.

“It was hard on him, and it was hard on us. But he did it for us—and you,” the correspondent said.

He continued: “Stories we pursued for 57 years are often controversial—lately, the Israel-Gaza war and the Trump administration. Bill made sure they were accurate and fair. He was tough that way. But our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it.”

“No one here is happy about it,” Pelley added. “But in resigning, Bill proved one thing: He was the right person to lead 60 Minutes all along.”

Owens’ relationship with CBS and Paramount deteriorated in recent months over what he considered intrusions into editorial decisions, The New York Times reported.

Former CBS News President Susan Zirinsky was appointed to a new role reviewing the show’s stories before they aired after Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, complained to executives in January about a segment on the war in Gaza, the newspaper reported.

What People Are Saying

Bill Owens, the former executive producer of 60 Minutes, said in a note to staff: “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.”

He added: “The show is too important to the country. It has to continue, just not with me as the executive producer.”

President Donald Trump took aim at the show over its reporting on Ukraine and Greenland earlier this month, writing on Truth Social: “Almost every week, 60 Minutes … mentions the name ‘TRUMP’ in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend’s ‘BROADCAST’ tops them all. … They are not a ‘News Show,’ but a dishonest Political Operative simply disguised as ‘News,’ and must be responsible for what they have done, and are doing. They should lose their license!”

60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl told Variety on April 22: “I have been made aware of interference in our news processes, and calling into question our judgement. That is not the way that companies that own news organizations should be acting.”

What Happens Next

60 Minutes is expected to continue covering the Trump administration, and it remains to be seen whether the merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media will go through.