Shakeup at ’60 Minutes,’ Judge Rules in AP Lawsuit: Media News Recap for April

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s roundup of media news stories from the month. 

April was a busy month for the media industry and our team has been watching the headlines. From a shocking media move at long-running ’60 Minutes’ to developments in the AP’s case against the White House, a possible new social media network from OpenAI and a local news pilot program, there was a lot to keep track of.

Dive into our recap to catch up on the month’s big media news, and discover a few headlines you might have missed.

‘60 Minutes’ Chief Resigns in Emotional Meeting: ‘The Company Is Done With Me’

Bill Owens, executive producer of the long-running Sunday news program “60 Minutes,” cited encroachments on his journalistic independence in a shocking resignation announcement. In a memo to staff, he said, “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.”

Owens is only the third person to run the program in its 57-year history. After an emotional meeting with staff about Owen’s decision, Rome Hartman, a veteran “60 Minutes” producer, called the exit “a gut punch.” “If the people that run Paramount and CBS think they can run ‘60 Minutes’ better than Bill Owens has run it, they’re wrong,” he said.

“60 Minutes” has faced mounting pressure in recent months from President Trump, who is suing CBS for $10 billion, and its own corporate ownership at Paramount. Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, is eager to secure the Trump administration’s approval for the company’s sale to Skydance and has expressed a desire to settle Mr. Trump’s case. (New York Times)

This week, the show aired a rebuke of Paramount in response to the growing rift between journalists and the parent company. It was also announced that lawyers for Paramount and Trump would begin mediation in the hope of settling the lawsuit.

It was a month full of big media moves, including:

• Radhika Jones, the editor of Vanity Fair since 2017, announced her decision to step down from the role. (New York Times)
• Longtime political columnist Eugene Robinson was the latest high-profile exit at The Washington Post. (TheWrap)
• As MSNBC spins off into a new corporate entity, statistics whiz Steve Kornacki announced that he’ll be sticking with NBC. (Los Angeles Times)
• Columbia Journalism Review editor Sewell Chan was fired, allegedly because of subordinates’ complaints about his behavior. (Hollywood Reporter)
• The National Trust for Local News announced Tom Wiley, currently president and publisher at the Buffalo News, as its new CEO. (NiemanLab)

AP wins reinstatement to White House events after judge rules government can’t bar its journalists

In early April, a federal judge ordered the White House to restore The Associated Press’ full access to cover presidential events.

The ruling affirmed that the government cannot punish the news organization for the content of its speech. The AP decided two months ago to not rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in its reporting, a name change declared by President Trump in an executive order early this year.

“Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists—be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere—it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,” U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden wrote. “The Constitution requires no less.”

It wasn’t the end of the fight though, as an AP reporter and photographer were barred from the press pool shortly after the ruling. (AP)

McFadden later said it was too soon to determine if the White House disobeyed his order, saying, “I don’t intend to micromanage the White House.”

In other press freedom and legal news:

• The White House press briefing room is changing as the administration makes changes to more closely control it. (New York Times)
• Days after the ruling, the White House announced plans to remove the spot typically reserved for wire services—AP, Reuters and Bloomberg—from the press pool. (The Hill)
• The White House set up a parallel press shop in response to frustration over slow and unclear communications from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agency. (Axios)
• Citing an executive order, newspaper publisher Gannett will no longer publish demographic and diversity data about its workforce, and has removed mentions of diversity from its corporate site. (NiemanLab) Thomson Reuters is also making changes. (NiemanLab)
• A jury found that The New York Times did not libel former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a 2017 editorial. (NBC News)
• A federal judge ordered the administration to restore Voice of America. (The Hill)

OpenAI is building a social network

According to sources, OpenAI is in the early stages of creating its own X-like social network. The network prototype reportedly focuses on ChatGPT’s image generation and has a social feed. It’s unclear if OpenAI plans to release the social network as a separate app or integrate it into ChatGPT.

Launching a social network in or around ChatGPT would likely increase OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s rivalry with Elon Musk and put the company on a more direct collision course with Meta, which is also reportedly planning a social feed for its own AI assistant.

While it’s unclear if the project will ever see the light of day, its existence is an example of how OpenAI is thinking about expansion. (The Verge)

In other social media news:

• Meta went on trial in D.C. over allegations that it purchased Instagram and WhatsApp to wipe out its competition. (The Verge)
• Amazon made a surprise bid for TikTok ahead of the U.S. ban deadline (which has since been extended). (AP)
• Mark Cuban-backed Skylight, a TikTok alternative, launched its mobile app. (TechCrunch)
• Bluesky debuted a new verification system, complete with familiar blue check marks. (WIRED)
• TikTok launched a Community Notes feature, called Footnotes, to help add an “additional layer of context” to videos. (TheWrap)

AP Fund for Journalism announces board of directors, 1st program with nearly 50 local newsrooms

Through a new local newsroom pilot program, the AP Fund for Journalism (APFJ) will work with nearly 50 nonprofit news organizations to support state and local news reporting. The program, supported by the Google News Initiative, will provide participating newsrooms with a selection of AP text, video and photo content and access to editorial tools and training to further support their newsgathering work.

“Fact-based, independent journalism is the backbone of engaged communities and informed civic discourse. Local newsrooms are on the frontlines telling the stories that matter most to their audiences, yet often they lack the resources to do so effectively,” said APFJ CEO Rachel White. “This pilot program is a critical first step in our mission to close that gap.”

It marks the first project for APFJ, a charitable organization created by The Associated Press in 2024 to support public service journalism and make it accessible to state and local news organizations in the U.S. (AP)

Among other local news updates:

• Gannett is launching a curated collection of true-crime investigative journalism produced by its local news outlets. (NiemanLab)
• Hearst expanded its partnership with Uplynk to ensure local news, weather and information reach more audiences across more content delivery platforms. (MediaPost)
• A new study found that if a news source appears local, people are inclined to trust it. (Editor & Publisher)
• Student journalists are working hard to provide local relevance for national news stories. (NiemanLab)
• Oregon lawmakers introduced a bill to require big tech companies like Google and Meta to pay publishers for profiting off their content. (OregonLive)

The Washington Post partners with OpenAI on search content

Through a new partnership with OpenAI, The Washington Post’s journalism will now display in ChatGPT’s news summaries, quotes and links in response to relevant searches. The Post’s journalism will be highlighted across politics, global affairs, business, technology and more. Direct links to The Post’s journalism and clear attribution will be provided.

“Ensuring ChatGPT users have our impactful reporting at their fingertips builds on our commitment to provide access where, how and when our audiences want it,” said Peter Elkins-Williams, head of global partnerships at The Washington Post.

The news follows similar partnerships OpenAI has formed with more than 20 news publishers and is the latest example of The Post’s commitment to expanding the discoverability of its journalism through AI tools and resources. (Editor & Publisher)

Catch up on other AI news:

• Regional UK publisher Newsquest now employs 36 “AI-assisted” reporters. (Press Gazette)
• A new law in New Jersey makes it illegal to create and share deceptive AI-generated media. (AP)
• New research finds audiences are still skeptical about generative AI in the news. (Poynter)
• The AP launched a new, AI-powered content delivery platform to make its content easier to find and use. (Editor & Publisher)
• New data shows Americans are pessimistic about AI’s long-term effect on news and journalists. (Pew Research Center)

Bonus Reads

Here are a few of April’s other big media industry headlines that you might have missed:

• Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is not cooperating with the production of a documentary and book that will cover his time spent in a Russian prison. Instead, Gershkovich has his own film and book in the works. (Variety)
• The Texas Tribune and ProPublica formed an investigative initiative in which five newsrooms will report on power in Texas. (MediaPost)
• Business Insider founder Henry Blodget launched a new publication on Substack. (AdWeek)
• USA Today launched a new women’s sports hub. (MediaPost)
• Some outlets are unveiling grocery price trackers as a service to readers. (NiemanLab)
• Wikipedia’s new AI strategy focuses on using AI as a tool to support editors, not replace them. (NiemanLab)

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