’60 Minutes’ top producer resigns, cites loss of ‘independent decisions’

Since its creation nearly 60 years ago, CBS’ “60 Minutes” has had only three executive producers. Now, one of them is leaving the award-winning show.

The top producer of the long-running Sunday news program, Bill Owens, revealed in an internal memo obtained by The New York Times that he’s stepping down. The memo cited the loss of the ability to “make independent decisions” as the reason for his departure.

'60 Minutes' chief resigns, saying show's independence was compromised

The longtime head of CBS' 60 Minutes resigned Tuesday, as the network's parent company contemplates a settlement with President Trump over his lawsuit focusing on an interview the show did with then-Vice President Kamala Harris last fall.

In an emotionally charged meeting Tuesday afternoon, and again in a note to staff released publicly shortly after, the show's executive producer, Bill Owens said he was departing after 37 years with CBS News following months of heavy-handed treatment of the show by corporate leaders.

60 Minutes’ German Censorship Segment: A Recycled NYT Report?

Ahead of German elections, 60 Minutes aired a segment in which it accompanied German police on raids of those who have committed speech crimes. The feature bears striking resemblance to a 2022 report from The New York Times.

CBS Is Wrong About Free Speech in Germany and the Rise of Nazism

The weekend programming over at CBS was unusually focused on speech norms and censorship in Germany. First, Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan casually asserted that free speech is what empowered the Nazis to take over the government and implement the Holocaust; then, 60 Minutes conducted an interview with present-day German authorities in which they detailed their efforts to suppress not just Nazi speech but also misinformation, gossip, and insults toward politicians.

Europeans Don’t Get Free Speech, and Neither Does CBS News, Apparently

JD Vance spoke over the weekend at the Munich security conference on behalf of the United States -- the primary topic was Ukraine, for obvious reasons -- but instead of discussing the immediate geopolitical matter, he took his time at the rostrum to deliver a harsh message to the European grandees gathered there about the enemy “within.” And he wasn’t subtle in identifying that threat as the overreaction of Europeans to dissident populist parties:

Guest On ’60 Minutes’ Claims German Citizens Have Free Speech — ‘But There Are Limits’

A guest on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” attempted to claim on Sunday’s broadcast that despite reports of pre-dawn raids and the confiscation of electronics, German citizens really do enjoy free speech — until they say something that law enforcement interprets as “hate speech.”

Dr. Matthäus Fink sat down with host Sharyn Alfonsi to discuss the topic, and he explained how the recent raids had played out.

“What’s the typical reaction when the police show up at somebody’s door and they say, ‘Hey, we believe you wrote this on the internet’?” Alfonsi asked.