Former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens backed Scott Pelley after Pelley’s heated confrontation with CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, praising Weiss’s critics as people who “can smell a fraud from a mile away.” Owens accepted the Gabe Pressman Tr
Bill Owens didn’t just watch Scott Pelley speak up inside CBS News. The former “60 Minutes” executive producer stepped forward to praise him publicly—using language that landed like a verdict.
Speaking at the New York Press Club’s annual dinner on Monday, Owens accepted the Gabe Pressman Truth to Power Award while addressing Pelley’s confrontation with CBS News new executive producer Nick Bilton. Owens also weighed in on Pelley’s criticism of CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.
Owens. who exited “60 Minutes” in April 2025 over concerns he was unable to maintain the program’s editorial independence. described Weiss. 68. as “an opinion writer best known for being an ideologue. ” according to Status. He then reportedly called out the handling of “Black Thursday. ” a day marked by departures that included correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi.
“They were fired by people who don’t even know what we do and don’t actually care,” Owens said.
When it came to Pelley’s decision to confront Weiss, Owens didn’t try to soften the message. “Scott can smell a fraud from a mile away. He stood up the way I did a year ago and I couldn’t be prouder of him,” he said. He added that he knew “all of the people at ’60 Minutes’ couldn’t be more proud of him. ” and said he would accept the award “on behalf of my friend Scott and all the people at ’60 Minutes.’”.
Owens also positioned “60 Minutes” and CBS News as institutions, not partisan vehicles. “They’re institutions, not places where partisans and ideologues should be employed,” he said.
He acknowledged that nothing about the show was flawless, telling the room, “Look, I’m not saying ’60 Minutes’ is perfect. I’m certainly not. We’ve made mistakes. We’ve always owned up to them.” But he argued there was a “rigor” to how the program approached stories—and that this crew wasn’t built for what the show required. “But I can tell you there’s a rigor in how ’60 Minutes’ approaches every story. That isn’t what this crew is looking to do.”.
A representative for CBS News did not immediately respond to MISRYOUM’s request for comment.
Hours earlier. Pelley had sparked internal turbulence after calling out Weiss in a heated meeting Monday. accusing her of “murdering” the long-running news program. Leaked audio described the moment escalating quickly during a group meeting that morning between Pelley and Bilton. In that account, Pelley said of Weiss, who appointed Bilton, “She’s murdering ’60 Minutes.’ She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that.”.
Pelley also reportedly took aim at Bilton personally, describing his background as inadequate. The account says Pelley called out Bilton—a former tech journalist and filmmaker with no previous broadcast TV experience—for his “slender qualifications for this job.”
Behind the scenes, the frustration didn’t land only on the words in the room. A person close to CBS News leadership called Pelley’s outburst “disappointing.” That person said Weiss and Bilton had made several attempts in the last week to reach out to Pelley and communicate that he’s valued at “60 Minutes.” Pelley. the account says. apparently did not return their call.
In Monday’s public remarks. Owens framed Pelley’s move as something the show needed—tying his praise back to his own decision to leave “60 Minutes” in April 2025 and returning again to one central point: that editorial independence shouldn’t be treated like optional branding. “60 Minutes” and CBS News, he said, are supposed to be institutions—meant for rigor, not ideology.
Bill Owens Scott Pelley 60 Minutes Bari Weiss Nick Bilton Gabe Pressman Truth to Power Award New York Press Club Black Thursday Cecilia Vega Sharyn Alfonsi CBS News