Bill Owens, one of the last remaining titans of legacy journalism, has resigned as executive producer of CBS’s 60 Minutes after a storied tenure, citing a stark loss of editorial independence that he says made it impossible to lead the show in the way he once could.
Owens’ departure signals more than a career pivot — it signals a turning point for a flagship American institution once known for its fearless journalism and unflinching pursuit of truth.
His resignation memo, quietly reverberating through the corridors of CBS News, paints a picture of a man who no longer felt in control of the product he helped define.
Owens’ association with CBS spans nearly four decades, beginning as a summer intern in 1988 and culminating in his role as executive producer of 60 Minutes since 2019.
He stood at the helm during some of the most tumultuous news cycles in American history. But now, as he exits, the reason is not burnout or scandal — it’s the creeping shadow of editorial constraint.
In his memo, Owens wrote, “Over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it.” He spoke of an inability to make independent editorial calls — a line that resonates deeply in an era where journalism often finds itself in the crosshairs of partisan warfare.
Though Owens stopped short of linking his resignation directly to the ongoing $10 billion lawsuit from former President Donald Trump, the timing is too significant to ignore. Trump’s lawsuit alleges 60 Minutes edited an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris to favor her electoral image, a charge CBS denies but one that is still being litigated.
Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, is reportedly eyeing a settlement as it pursues a high-stakes merger with Skydance Media. Legal pressures, corporate negotiations, and political optics — all likely factors bearing down on CBS leadership and their editorial decisions.
Meanwhile, critics — including insiders — accuse 60 Minutes of straying from its once-neutral stance. “This isn’t Mike Wallace’s show anymore,” one CBS insider told the New York Post, framing the program as a platform increasingly aligned with left-leaning narratives.