A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The executive producer of "60 Minutes" says he's leaving the show and CBS News after decades at the network. Bill Owens says he can no longer make independent journalism decisions for the program. The news comes a few weeks after The New York Times reported CBS' owner, Paramount Global, has agreed on a mediator to pursue a settlement in a $20 billion lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump. Trump alleged that "60 Minutes" unfairly edited an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Here to talk about the issues raised by all this is NPR TV critic and media analyst Eric Deggans. So, Eric, "60 Minutes" - very popular program. Been on the air for 57 years. Why is it such big news that an executive producer is leaving?
ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE: Well, yes, "60 Minutes" is the most popular news magazine on broadcast television. It's considered the gold standard of TV journalism. It's got dozens of Emmys and multiple Peabody Awards. It's been particularly stable with just three leaders, including Owens, over its 57-year history. So that's why it was such a shock to hear that Owens was leaving after 37 years at CBS News, where he started as an intern. I mean, in a memo to the show's staff on Tuesday, he said that recent months made it clear that he would not be able to, quote, "make independent decisions based on what was right for '60 Minutes.'" Longtime "60 Minutes" producer Tanya Simon, whose father, Bob Simon, was a correspondent on the show, she's expected to take over as an interim leader for now and may succeed him.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. Now, all this sparked questions about whether Owens is leaving over Paramount's response to President Trump's criticism of the show and that lawsuit against the program.
DEGGANS: Certainly. I mean, Owens and his boss, CBS News president Wendy McMahon, didn't mention President Trump in their memos to the staff, but it's kind of tough to escape the implications. I mean, Shari Redstone, who's the controlling owner of Paramount, she wants to sell the company to Skydance Media, but a sale like that requires federal approvals, and has made Paramount vulnerable to pressure from the Trump administration. So, President Trump's lawsuit complains that "60 Minutes" unfairly boosted Harris, and he's also complained about coverage and other stories suggesting that the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission that he appointed, Brendan Carr, fine or punish the program.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, on the Harris interview, the show eventually released transcripts. So what did it show about Trump's complaint?
DEGGANS: It seems that "60 Minutes" made pretty typical editing choices, and several legal experts have said that the show and CBS have a strong case. So Owens has said in the past he wouldn't apologize to Trump over this interview, so there may have been some conflict there with Paramount's attempt to negotiate a settlement.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, Eric, I got to imagine that, you know, after President Trump's criticism and pressure, that a departure like Owens might have a chilling effect on journalists even beyond the show "60 Minutes."
DEGGANS: Without a doubt. I mean, it is tough to think of another modern president who has so directly pressured news organizations whose coverage he does not like, from attempting to exclude The Associated Press from the White House press pool to drafting a memo calling for scrapping most federal funding to public media outlets like PBS and NPR. I mean, the concern is that this whittles away at press freedoms. It unfairly pressures journalists and media owners to curb coverage. Now, Owens said in his memo that "60 Minutes" will continue to cover this new administration, but it's tough to know what viewers will make of the show's work now that its executive producer felt compelled to quit the program. And any move that Paramount makes with the news division is going to get lots of public scrutiny.
MARTÍNEZ: All right, that's NPR TV critic and media analyst Eric Deggans. Eric, thanks.
DEGGANS: Thank you.
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