In a shocking break from tradition, veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley used the show’s April 27 broadcast to publicly attack CBS parent company Paramount Global, accusing it of meddling in the newsroom to curry favor with the Trump administration. The dramatic moment came as Pelley discussed the resignation of executive producer Bill Owens, who quit after claiming corporate leaders had crossed “a red line” of journalistic independence.
“He Did It for Us-and You”
Pelley, who earns an estimated $5 million annually, stunned viewers by declaring live on air: “Bill resigned Tuesday. It was hard on him and hard on us, but he did it for us-and you.” The correspondent then linked Owens’ departure directly to Paramount’s business dealings, stating: “Our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways.” While emphasizing that “none of our stories has been blocked,” Pelley admitted Owens felt he’d lost the independence needed for “honest journalism.”
The outburst exposed deep cracks at the legendary news program, which faces mounting criticism over perceived left-wing bias and a $20 billion defamation lawsuit from President Donald Trump. Critics quickly slammed Pelley online, calling him ungrateful to the network that’s employed him for decades.
Merger Pressure and Lawsuit Woes
Paramount’s scramble to finalize its Skydance Media merger-reportedly requiring FCC approval-has collided with Trump’s blockbuster lawsuit accusing 60 Minutes of manipulating an October interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump rightly claimed the show edited Harris’ “word salad” answers about Israel-Gaza to help her 2024 White House bid, demanding $20 billion in damages. Network staff defended the edits as “routine time constraints.”
The merger itself faces new hurdles: The FCC now demands Paramount scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies as a condition for approval. Chair Brendan Carr warned companies promoting “invidious forms of DEI discrimination” risk rejection, prompting backlash from Paramount employees. In March, staff condemned leadership’s “profound hypocrisy” for “erasure and exclusion of diverse communities” while profiting from their stories.
Owens’ Exit and Pelley’s History
Owens, a 58-year-old CBS veteran, resigned after 6 years as executive producer, writing: “It became clear 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.” His departure follows years of bias allegations against the show, including a 2020 segment promoting the anti-Trump Lincoln Project and a 2021 deceptively edited report on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Pelley’s latest remarks continue his pattern of clashing with management. In 2017, he claims CBS removed him from the evening news after he complained about a “hostile work environment.” His Sunday night critique echoed 2019 comments where he blasted “incompetent management” at CBS News.
Years of Alleged Bias
The show once considered journalism’s “gold standard” now faces accusations of operating like MSNBC. Washington Times analyst Peter Parisi recently noted the show’s “liberal, pro-Democrat slant” has eroded public trust, with Gallup showing only 31% of Americans trust mainstream media. “60 Minutes has become liberal fool’s gold,” he wrote in February. From trashing the Trump presidency as“defiance of the Constitution,” Pelley’s reports on climate change with regularly embrace doomsday predictions without acknowledging failed past forecasts.
What Comes Next?
As Paramount navigates merger talks and legal battles, 60 Minutes staff face tough questions about their future. Will the show regain its reputation for fairness, or become another casualty of corporate/political pressures? With Owens gone and Pelley doubling down, the answer may depend on who blinks first: the journalists, the executives, or the courts.
For now, Pelley insists Owens’ sacrifice proved he was “the right person to lead 60 Minutes all along.” But for critics, Sunday’s outburst wasn’t a defense of journalism-it was proof the show has lost its way.
***
English (US) · 