CBS News’ ’60 Minutes’ executive producer Bill Owens resigns citing editorial concerns amid Trump lawsuit | World News
Bill Owens, who is known as the longtime executive producer of CBS News’ “60 Minutes” program, has announced on Tuesday that he is stepping down, saying he no longer has control over the show and has lost the freedom to run it independently.
According to an internal memo, Owens told the staff of “60 Minutes” that the last few months made him clear that he would not be allowed to run the show as he used to do it earlier or “make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes,” reported CNN.
This comes after US President Donald Trump sued CBS News for $20 billion in October over a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, claiming the channel deceptively edited the interview to give undue advantage to Harris in the presidential election.
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CBS News had denied the allegations, saying it had not done anything to give an advantage to Kamala Harris, and later released the entire transcript of the interview.
Owens, while announcing his abrupt resignation, wrote “So, having defended this show and what we stand for from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward,” adding that “the show is too important to the country, it has to continue, just not with me as the Executive Producer.”
Earlier this month, the case filed Trump entered mediation. The US president attacked the “60 Minutes” program again last week alleging it aired two inaccurate stories about him and directed the Federal Communications Commission to take required action.
CBS News President and CEO Wendy McMahon praised Owens who has spent 37 years at CBS News, including 24 years with the “60 minutes” program. McMahon praised Owens’ “unwavering integrity, curiosity, and a deep commitment to the truth,” Reuters reported.
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