Despite a massive change to its operating structure this week, “60 Minutes” continues to tick.
The lead story scheduled for this Sunday’s episode will focus on the potential ramifications of the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the National Institutes of Health. Led by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi and produced by Ashley Velie, the report will examine leaked documents that suggest the White House wants to cut the NIH budget by more than 40% and will detail how such a move has alarmed scientists.
The CBS News mainstay has offered similar reports since Trump was elected in 2024, but its efforts to do so are under considerably more scrutiny this week. Bill Owens, just the third executive producer in the program’s nearly six decades on air, revealed Tuesday he would leave, citing interference in the show’s editorial processes as CBS News’ corporate parent, Paramount Global, seeks to consummate merger plans with Skydance Media, a move that would infuse the company with new capital and help controlling shareholder Shari Redstone maintain her family fortune.
“60 Minutes” has made that transaction more complex. An interview between correspondent Bill Whitaker and former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, presented on CBS in the days leading into the 2024 election, has become fodder for what many experts believe is a meritless suit by President Donald Trump against CBS. At issue: Trump allegations, filed in federal court in the Northern District of Texas in November, that “60 Minutes” tried to mislead voters by airing two different edits of remarks made in the interview with Harris, then Trump’s rival for the White House. CBS has sought to have the case thrown out. Since that time, however, the Federal Communications Commission has opened an investigation into the matter and CBS and Trump attorneys have engaged a mediator.
Owens said earlier this week he faced an increasing lack of ability “to make independent decisions based on what was right for ’60 Minutes,’ right for the audience” after the installation of a team led by former CBS News President Susan Zirinsky that has been tasked with vetting stories tied to the Middle East and politics, as well as content from programs across the CBS News portfolio.
People familiar with the matter say Zirinsky’s role has changed little about the newsmagazine. No “60 Minutes” stories were spiked or altered in significant fashion, three of these people say. And one person with knowledge of the matter says Zirinsky sometimes pushed back on Paramount executives who questioned why “60 Minutes” had to air certain stories on a particular Sunday evening. She served more as a buffer than a cop, these people say, and wasn’t solely focused on “60 Minutes.”
Still, “60 Minutes” producers have felt needlessly grilled. Zirinsky and her team were specifically tasked with examining sensitive stories, and “60 Minutes” has long enjoyed an independence from corporate scrutiny that other mainstream news outlets may not.
For much of the current season, its 57th, “60 Minutes” has run segments exploring the implications of President Trump’s policies. Correspondent Jon Wertheim and producer Michael Gavshon recently traveled to Greenland to explore the region after the Commander-in-Chief has suggested it should become part of the United States. In February, Scott Pelley and producers Aaron Weisz, Pat Milton, and Ian Flickinger explored recent firings and resignations at the U.S. Department of Justice. Lesley Stahl and producer Shachar Bar-On probed White House efforts to cut the funding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Owens is expected to remain involved with the show for the remainder of its current season, and one person familiar with the program says no stories are being spiked or changed in the wake of his announcement. Tanya Simon, the executive editor of “60 Minutes” and the daughter of Bob Simon, a former correspondent for the show, has taken its reins on an interim basis. Three people familiar with the program say she appears to be a likely candidate to succeed Owens, and, if she does, would become the first woman to lead the program since it launched.
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