"He continued: I said, I'm not apologizing for anything. We haven't done anything wrong.' I knew we were heading down a path that was ultimately going to be rocky, he added. Owens resigned in April, citing concerns about journalistic independence after Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount, reportedly cracked down on 60 Minutes over a segment on the war in Gaza she considered too critical of Israel."
"Paramount Global, however, was seeking government approval for an $8 billion merger with Skydance, and the network eventually settled with Trump for $16 million. Weeks later, the FCC approved the deal. Editorial decisions, according to Owens, became increasingly tied to the high-stakes Skydance merger. He said the message conveyed to him was: 'You'll be the person that if this doesn't go through, you should know you'll be a big part of this.'"
"He told the audience in Maine that Redstone was again angered by a January segment on internal dissent within the State Department over Gaza policy and claimed he was pointedly asked: You're not gonna do another Gaza story, are you?"
Bill Owens said Paramount executives pressured him to apologize for 60 Minutes' Kamala Harris interview after a lawsuit from Donald Trump alleged deceptive editing. CBS aired different portions of Harris' response in a teaser and on the program. Paramount sought approval for an $8 billion Skydance merger while the network settled with Trump for $16 million and later received FCC approval. Owens resigned in April, citing threats to journalistic independence following reported interference from controlling shareholder Shari Redstone over Gaza coverage. Owens described editorial decisions becoming tied to the merger and recounted warnings that he would be blamed if the deal failed.
Read at www.mediaite.com
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