“60 Minutes” Anchor Reveals On-Air: “We Were Pressured Over Gaza War Cov

Yarden Bibas at demonstration to bring the hostages home background — Photo: Hostage family forum

After weeks of rumors and speculation, veteran journalist Scott Pelleyת; one of the most familiar faces of CBS’s long-running program “60 Minutes”; confirmed on-air that senior producer Bill Owens' departure was directly linked to pressure from the parent company, Paramount, regarding coverage of the Gaza war.

In a rare closing remark during Sunday’s broadcast, Pelley told viewers:

“Paramount has begun supervising our content in new ways. No story was blocked, but Bill felt he had lost the editorial independence journalism demands.”

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Behind the media storm are broader dynamics: advanced merger talks between Paramount and Skydance Media, owned by David Ellison, son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, and an effort to win approval for the deal from the Trump administration.

In recent weeks, it was reported that Shari Redstone, the Jewish chairwoman of Paramount, sought to de-escalate tensions with the former president; especially in light of a $10 billion lawsuit Trump filed against CBS. The lawsuit claims a “60 Minutes” interview with then-candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 campaign was unfairly edited to favor her.

As part of the network’s effort to lower its profile, a veteran producer was appointed to oversee “60 Minutes” editorial standards, particularly regarding “sensitive” topics such as the war in Gaza.

Reports indicate that Redstone was displeased with a January segment about the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which she felt portrayed Israel unfairly.

Following the internal uproar, the show's team was required to submit certain segments for prior approval, an act viewed by Owens and the staff as a violation of journalistic freedom.

Bill Owens, who joined CBS nearly four decades ago and has served as executive producer of “60 Minutes” since 2019, sent a sharply worded memo to staff in which he wrote:

“It became clear that I would no longer be able to run the program the way I always had, making independent decisions based on what’s right for ‘60 Minutes’ and for the audience.”

He added that the program “means too much to the country” and “must continue—just without me as executive producer.”

Pelley, who made the unusually direct remarks at the end of the broadcast, continued:

“For 57 years, we’ve tackled controversial stories, from the war in Gaza to criticism of the Trump administration. Bill insisted that every report be accurate and fair. He was tough in that regard.” He concluded: “In resigning, Bill proved he was exactly the right person to lead this show.”

The current storm comes on the heels of ongoing tensions between “60 Minutes” and the Trump administration. Last fall, Trump sued CBS, alleging biased editing of an interview with his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris. Later, the Trump-appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened an investigation into CBS, and Trump even called for the network’s broadcasting license to be revoked.

“60 Minutes” has a long history of covering Israel, including interviews with leaders, reports on conflicts, and social and political investigations. In recent years, coverage of Israeli affairs has increased, thanks in part to Israeli producer Shachar Bar-On, a core member of the program’s team. The show has reported on protests against judicial reform, the 2023 Gaza war, and stories of released hostages. One of the most notable moments was the Emmy-winning interview with freed hostage Yarden Roman-Gat.