Meet the Hero of “60 Minutes”

He is trying to save the institution by walking away

Bill Owens of “60 Minutes” (credit: Getty Images).

I am able to write this piece today because I have the autonomy and independence to do so. CBS News’s “60 Minutes,” my home for many years, can no longer say the same.

Because of Donald Trump, and because of a corporate lust for cash, “60 Minutes” now has oversight and overlords. Prying eyes from corporate offices are never a good thing when reporting the news. Journalism must operate without fear or favor. Independence is necessary for superior journalism.

Over the past 57 years, “60 Minutes” has developed into this country’s best at what it does, and one of the best in the world. But suddenly this week, we’re left wondering if “60 Minutes” can ever be at its best again. The stopwatch is now under sustained attack from a lethal combination of President Trump and corporate greed.

It’s hard to imagine, but as someone inside the venerated CBS broadcast told us today, the atmosphere at the office “is a s***show.” Whoa. That’s like hearing chimpanzees are now assembling fine Swiss watches. “60 Minutes” is the cash cow of the Tiffany network and a program with more accolades and awards than any in the history of television.

Suddenly none of that matters, because the program is losing its leader. Bill Owens, the program’s executive producer, abruptly left on Tuesday. I have known him for more than 35 years and know him to be in the best tradition of CBS’s storied news producers.

In an email to his staff, Owens explained why he was leaving a program that has been his life for 24 years. “Over the past months, it has also 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.”

What happened? Why would Owens walk away from one of the most powerful and lucrative jobs, not only in journalism, but in the country?

I still know some of the terrific journalists at “60 Minutes.” An insider reminded me, “You know about Shari. That’s the story. Greed.” So, let me tell you about Shari.

You may never have heard her name, but Shari Redstone is a player — in Hollywood and in corporate America. She’s a 71-year-old multimillionaire as well as controlling shareholder and board chair of Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News. She is trying to sell Paramount to Skydance, owned by the son of Oracle founder and billionaire Larry Ellison. If successful, she will become a billionaire, more than tripling her net worth.

To make the deal happen, she needs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve the sale, and the clock is ticking. The FCC has to decide in the next 20 days. Donald Trump appointed the FCC commissioner. You can see where this is going.

One wouldn’t characterize Trump as a “60 Minutes” superfan. I reported on Trump for a story on “60 Minutes” back when he said he was thinking about running for president in 2000. His “campaign” at the time was a sham, and we reported that. Trump hated the story. It appears not much has changed in 25 years.

In a social media post on April 13, Trump lambasted the newsmagazine, calling it “derogatory and defamatory.” He suggested that “they are not a ‘News Show,’ but a dishonest Political Operative” and that “they should lose their license.”

Trump’s dislike runs so deep he is suing CBS News for $20 billion (yes, billion), claiming “60 Minutes” tried to mislead voters by airing two different edits of remarks made by Vice President Kamala Harris. A wide range of legal experts say the suit is without merit.

Regardless and to no one’s surprise, Trump’s FCC has opened an investigation. And Paramount, much to the horror of the “60 Minutes” staff, is in mediation to settle with Trump — for something less than $20 billion.

Redstone is well aware of Trump’s feelings toward “60 Minutes.” Trump is no doubt aware of the proposed merger. And true to form, he’s pressuring Paramount directly, and Redstone indirectly, to control “60 Minutes,” which he has said is “out of control.” To that end, Redstone has taken an increased interest in the program.

This, along with the settlement talks, is where the problems began for Owens and the “60 Minutes” team. To appease Redstone, CBS brass has imposed a new layer of editorial oversight. Two news executives from inside CBS have been tasked with vetting stories and overseeing content. As one “60 Minutes” staffer pointed out, all of this opens new ways for Redstone — and by extension, Trump — to have their way.

“60 Minutes” has been the gold standard in television news and has been the No. 1 news show in America for 50 straight years. The show has made more money for CBS over the years than any other program, because the network wholly owns the franchise.

This complicates things for Redstone. Because “60 Minutes” is such a valuable asset of Paramount Global, she can’t, or at least shouldn’t, do anything to jeopardize its value. That value is directly tied to the long-held trust the program has earned with its audience.

I have been sounding the alarm about the politicization, corporatization, and Hollywoodization of the news for decades. The idea of news as a public service has almost completely disappeared.

When corporations like Disney (which owns ABC) and Comcast (which owns NBC) and billionaires like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos (who owns The Washington Post) are more concerned with bending the knee and kissing up to Trump than with providing their viewers and readers the best reporting, democracy suffers. There are fewer and fewer journalists holding the powerful accountable … and boy, is there a lot to hold to account these days.

What does this mean for the future of “60 Minutes” and its next executive producer? Will the program’s weekly audience of millions be able to trust a news product that has been vetted not to offend politicians nor hurt a corporate bottom line? Donald Trump is smiling that the questions are even being asked.

Redstone could be the savior of this story, defending “60 Minutes” and the First Amendment … though we’re more likely to see water run uphill. The real hero is Owens, who is standing up for journalistic integrity and independence while suffering the personal consequences.

I fear for our country, because this story and so much of what is happening in America right now is just all about power and greed.

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Stay Steady,
Dan