On Sunday evening, Scott Pelley, cohost of the CBS News program “60 Minutes,” gave a rare rebuke to the network’s parent company, Paramount, over moves that prompted the resignation of the show’s former executive producer, Bill Owens.

Ahead of a desired merger with Skydance Media, which is owned by billionaire David Ellison, Paramount has sought to limit the journalistic independence of “60 Minutes,” viewing its coverage as too critical of President Donald Trump. Any merger deal that Paramount makes with Skydance will have to be approved by the Trump administration.

Paramount’s moves to encroach upon the independence of “60 Minutes” ultimately led Owens to decide he could no longer work at the program. In a memo to staff last week, he wrote:

Over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for ‘60 Minutes,’ right for the audience…. Having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward.

Staff were reportedly saddened over........

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