Bill Owens, the former executive producer of 60 Minutes, recently accepted an award for courage in journalism at Colby College in Maine. He started CBS News in 1988 and accomplished so much important work over the course of his career. He was reportedly under just as much pressure from corporate overlords on editorial matters. In his acceptance speech, Owens brought attention to these inequities. In particular, he paid attention to the way Philly covered sensitive subjects such as the conflict in Gaza and Donald Trump.
Owens transitioned last year to his current position as executive producer at upstart CBS’ flagship news program, 60 Minutes. This role placed him at the helm of one of America’s most treasured news programs. In doing so, he had severe internal pressure to contend with. He had to avoid touchy stories that would generate heat for Paramount, the network’s parent company. Owens described one particular case. He had been told not to touch another story on Gaza after one of his prior segments received backlash from pro-Israel groups.
It’s like sticking a stick in a hornet’s nest,” Owens said of the backlash over their coverage from Gaza. He referred to such directives as forms of corporate censorship. He asserted that they operate against journalistic integrity and counter the fundamental purpose of fair and truthful reporting.
Along with the prohibitions on Gaza stories, Owens faced pressure to avoid covering Donald Trump. An intermediary once asked him, “Do you need to mention Trump’s name that often?” This question highlighted a larger hesitance in the network to tackle heavy political hot button issues. Owens expressed his resolve during these challenges, asserting, “I’m not apologizing for anything. We haven’t done anything wrong.”
Even through these tumultuous internal disputes, Owens has continued to double down on a focus on accountability and transparency in the tradition of great journalism. Quoting Cormac McCarthy, he admitted that 60 Minutes has done its share of f—-ups over the decades. Nevertheless, he stressed that the program has never shied away from those mistakes. “60 Minutes isn’t perfect. 60 Minutes has made mistakes in the past, and we have always owned those mistakes,” he stated.
Owens’ exit from 60 Minutes was one of its last blows, just weeks after Susan Zirinsky was brought in to oversee news standards at CBS News. Even with the uphill battle, he encouraged his staff not to leave in protest over his departure. He thought it was important to stay focused on what they did and stick to professional journalistic values.
Owens announcement to step down in April came amid increasing pressure and restrictions on his editorial freedom. He described his situation as untenable, saying, “The only thing I could do was professionally blow myself up to create a blast radius around 60 Minutes to get people’s attention that this was happening.”
Even through all this uncertainty looking forward, Owens is optimistic about the future of journalism, and his role in it. He intends to return to the field and has already started conversations about funders looking to support his next move. I am getting back on the field for sure.”