Bill Owens, the longtime executive producer of the CBS program “60 Minutes,” announced on April 22 that he is stepping down, saying it has become clear he can no longer run the show with full editorial independence.
“The fact is that ’60 Minutes’ has been my life,” Owens wrote in a farewell note to staff obtained by The Epoch Times. “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.”
Owens, who has been with CBS News for 37 years—including 24 at “60 Minutes”—said he was stepping aside so the show “can move forward.” His departure comes amid growing political and legal scrutiny of the program, including a $20 billion lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over CBS’s editing of an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign….