‘60 Minutes’ takes swing at owner Paramount
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Paramount faced unusual criticism from its own news show 60 Minutes on Sunday night, as the US media group seeks approval for an $8bn merger from Donald Trump’s media regulator.
In the “Last Minute” segment at the end of the hour-long broadcast, Scott Pelley, one of its top broadcasters, told viewers that Paramount had begun “to supervise our content in new ways” after explaining that “our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger . . . The Trump administration must approve it”.
Pelley’s unexpected rebuke came in a two-minute segment explaining the decision by its executive producer, Bill Owens, to quit last week. Owens told staff that “over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it” when he announced his departure.
Pelley said on Sunday: “None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
Paramount is seeking regulatory approval to merge with Skydance, a Hollywood studio run by David Ellison and backed by his Silicon Valley billionaire father Larry Ellison, a friend of Trump.
Paramount is currently negotiating with Brendan Carr, the US Federal Communications Commission chair about concessions the studio must make.
Those talks come as the production company also faces a legal battle with Trump over CBS. Trump sued the news broadcaster, which is owned by Paramount, for defamation over what he claimed was deceptive editing of an interview in a 60 Minutes interview last year with Kamala Harris, his opponent in last year’s White House race.
Trump’s lawyers and Paramount are set to enter arbitration on April 30 over the dispute. Executives at Paramount and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone have considered a settlement or an apology to Trump, the Financial Times has previously reported, despite CBS calling the lawsuit meritless.
Paramount was not immediately available for comment.
On Sunday, Pelley said that Owens’ decision reflected his reputation as one of the best respected producers in US TV. “He did it for us and you. Stories we pursued for 57 years are often controversial — lately, the Israel-Gaza War and the Trump administration. Bill made sure they were accurate and fair. He was tough that way.”
Last month, Trump attacked 60 Minutes after it broadcast stories on Ukraine and Greenland, saying on his social media platform Truth Social: “Almost every week, 60 Minutes, which is being sued for Billions of Dollars . . . mentions the name ‘TRUMP’ in a derogatory and defamatory way.”
He added: “They should lose their license! Hopefully, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as headed by its Highly Respected Chairman, Brendan Carr, will impose the maximum fines and punishment, which is substantial, for their unlawful and illegal behavior.”
Trump has escalated his attacks on media that he views as acting against his administration since he took office, even criticising some of the coverage on more right-leaning broadcasters such as Fox.
In a recent post on his social media site, he wrote: “Rupert Murdoch has told me for years that he is going to get rid of his FoxNews, Trump Hating, Fake Pollster, but he has never done so. This ‘pollster’ has gotten me, and MAGA, wrong for years. Also, and while he’s at it, he should start making changes at the China Loving Wall Street Journal. It sucks!!!”
