Not 60 Minutes. No.
Christine Merser, April 23, 2025
Bill Owens, one of the most respected producers in 60 Minutes’ storied history, has resigned. His reason? He says CBS is caving to pressure from the Trump administration. On their own CBS website, this is the quote attributed to Mr. Owens.
“In a note to staffers today, Owens wrote, "Over the past months, it has also 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. So, 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." - CBS Website
60 Minutes. You know 60 Minutes. The institution that has held power to account for over 56 years, now risks becoming just another casualty in the war on truth. Caving to an administration that will make them irrelevant anyway. Why would they succumb? Is it really possible these media outlets think they are saving themselves or anyone else?
Think about it. 60 Minutes has been on the air since 1968. It is the longest-running prime-time show in American television history. Over five decades, it has been the gold standard for investigative journalism, a force that corporations, politicians, and con men feared. Why? Because they knew 60 Minutes would not back down.
It was 60 Minutes that exposed Big Tobacco.
The 1995 interview with whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand revealed that tobacco executives had lied under oath to Congress about the addictiveness of nicotine. That one story changed public health policy and saved countless lives.
It was 60 Minutes that helped bring down Enron.
Their dogged reporting, long before most media dared touch the story, laid bare the fraud at the heart of one of America’s most powerful corporations.
It was 60 Minutes that uncovered the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
A story so devastating it shook the highest levels of government and changed U.S. military practices abroad.
It was 60 Minutes that revealed defective GM ignition switches that led to deadly accidents, forcing a major American company to recall millions of cars and face accountability.
And now, the very show that helped define the best of American journalism — that showed the power of a single microphone, a single question, a single truth-teller — is being silenced when they don’t have to be? They could have asked us to help. They could have said no.
This is one of those markers in history that cannot be ignored or excused away.
CBS must not be allowed to move forward without consequences. We need to make it crystal clear. It’s them or us.
We, the viewers, the buyers, the people who decide where our dollars go are more powerful than any politician.
The companies that advertise on 60 Minutes and CBS News include the following:
• Pfizer
• Amazon
• Verizon
• Liberty Mutual
• Procter & Gamble
• Charles Schwab
• Subaru
• TD Ameritrade
• UnitedHealthcare
• IBM
• Merck
• Fidelity Investments
These companies need to hear from us now.
Because if CBS thinks they can cave quietly, we need to make sure the financial blowback is loud and immediate. They need to regroup, retract and get it right. Set an example to those who have looked up to them for decades. Like me, to name one.
Today, every American who cares about truth needs to act. (See the bottom of this post for where to send what.)
Post on your social media.
Call CBS News.
Tag the companies that advertise with them.
“We stand with Bill Owens. We demand real journalism. We will not fund cowardice.”
CBS must beg Bill Owens to return, and Owens must be willing to tell us it’s safe again. Nothing less will do.
History will remember what happens in moments like this.
What will we do? Will we be the generation that let 60 Minutes fall quietly into the night?
Or will we be the generation that rose up and said, “Not on our watch.”
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Examples of What to Post on Social Media
Simple direct post.
CBS News: You don’t get to sell out 60 Minutes without hearing from all of us. We stand with Bill Owens. #Save60Minutes #StandWithOwens
Tagging CBS and calling them out.
Dear @CBSNews,
Selling out 60 Minutes is selling out America.
Bring back Bill Owens. Bring back courage. Bring back journalism.
#Save60Minutes #CBSFail
To the advertisers.
Hey @Verizon @Amazon @LibertyMutual @Pfizer —
You sponsor 60 Minutes.
We expect you to stand up for journalism, not political pressure.
If CBS caves, we walk.
#Save60Minutes #OurMoneyMatters
Stern and clever.
60 Minutes taught us to ask hard questions.
Here’s one.
WHY is CBS caving to Trump?
WHY are advertisers silent?
WHY should we keep buying your products?
#Save60Minutes #NotOnOurWatch
Targeted at corporations.
If you advertise on 60 Minutes @ProcterGamble @Fidelity You are funding the death of real journalism unless you act NOW. We’re watching. And we’re shopping accordingly. #Save60Minutes
Short emotional appeal.
60 Minutes changed America. @CBSNews is trying to change it back. Not today. Not ever. #Save60Minutes #StandWithOwens
A call for immediate action.
Today, we choose sides. #TruthOrTrump. Journalism or propaganda. @CBSNews your choice just became very public. #Save60Minutes
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Sample Letter to CBS and Advertisers — Option 1
Subject: We Stand With Bill Owens — Save 60 Minutes
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing today as a lifelong viewer and consumer who can no longer stay silent.
The resignation of Bill Owens from 60 Minutes due to CBS caving to political pressure is a disgrace to your legacy — and a threat to the future of real journalism.
For over 56 years, 60 Minutes has been the voice that challenged power, uncovered injustice, and fought for truth. From exposing Big Tobacco to holding corporations and governments accountable, it has been a cornerstone of democracy.
I urge you:
• Reverse course immediately.
• Publicly recommit CBS News and 60 Minutes to independent, fearless journalism.
• Beg Bill Owens to return and restore the public’s trust.
I will be informing advertisers — including Pfizer, Amazon, Liberty Mutual, and others — that I will no longer support companies who stand silent while one of America’s last great journalistic institutions is dismantled.
You must choose: real journalism or political appeasement.
We are watching. We are acting. And we will not forget.
Sincerely,
Me
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Sample Letter to CBS and Advertisers — Option 2
Subject: Betraying 60 Minutes Will Cost You
CBS News and 60 Minutes leadership,
You are making a grave mistake.
Bill Owens’ resignation is a flashing siren that CBS is no longer protecting its most important institution: real investigative journalism.
If you allow 60 Minutes to become another mouthpiece for political power, you will lose more than just your credibility — you will lose your audience. You will lose your advertisers. You will lose the financial foundation that keeps you standing.
We are already organizing. We are already informing the companies that fund you — Amazon, Pfizer, Liberty Mutual, Fidelity, and many others — that silence is complicity.
Either you fix this immediately or you can count on watching your revenues shrink along with your reputation.
Reinstate Bill Owens. Reaffirm your independence. Or face the consequences.
We are not passive. We are not powerless. And we are not backing down.
Me, Your Worst Nightmare
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Key CBS and 60 Minutes Contacts
Neeraj Khemlani
(Co-President, CBS News and Stations)
• Email: neeraj.khemlani@cbsnews.com
• Mailing Address: CBS News, 524 W 57th Street, New York, NY 10019
Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews
(President, CBS News)
• Email: ingrid.ciprian-matthews@cbsnews.com
• Mailing Address: CBS News, 524 W 57th Street, New York, NY 10019
Bill Owens
(Former Executive Producer, 60 Minutes — but important to mention in posts)
• (Not providing personal address; not appropriate — but refer to him publicly with support.)
Jon Wertheim
(Current Correspondent and Interim Leadership at 60 Minutes)
• Email: jon.wertheim@cbsnews.com
• Mailing Address: CBS News, 524 W 57th Street, New York, NY 10019
George Cheeks
(President and CEO, CBS Entertainment Group)
• Email: george.cheeks@cbs.com
• Mailing Address: CBS Entertainment, 51 W 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019
Wendy McMahon
(Co-President, CBS News and Stations)
• Email: wendy.mcmahon@cbsnews.com
• Mailing Address: CBS News, 524 W 57th Street, New York, NY 10019
Call, write, get the message out. CBS is shooting itself in the foot as well as capitulating to fascism. Stand with Harvard, not Waffle House.
Oh my God! CBS needs to HARVARD UP! Thanks for the action plan.