The National Press Foundation has selected Bill Owens, former executive producer of the CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes,” to receive the 2025 Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award.
“Bill Owens exemplifies values so many journalists aspire to: a fierce desire to hold the powerful accountable, an unwavering commitment to fairness, and deep respect for the audience at every turn,” the National Press Foundation judging panel said.
Named for the esteemed Washington Post editor, NPF established the Editor of the Year Award in 1984 to recognize significant achievements that enhance the quality of journalism in the United States. Previous winners include Dean Baquet, Marty Baron, Monica Richardson and, most recently, Suki Dardarian of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Owens received the award at the National Press Foundation Annual Journalism Awards Dinner on March 12, 2026.
Owens was only the third person to lead the venerable news program in its 57-year history when he resigned from “60 Minutes” in April 2025 citing infringement on his journalistic independence.
“It has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,” Owens wrote in a memo to staff. “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.”
Owens steered “60 Minutes” through reporting on impeachments and investigations, whistleblowers and wars, presidencies and the pandemic. During his tenure, the newsmagazine reached the historic milestone of 50 consecutive seasons as the top news show across broadcast and cable – the first time any television program has reigned in the number one spot for five decades.
“At ‘60 Minutes,’ he advanced a long and rich culture of rigorous storytelling without fear or favor. His integrity and intellect continue to serve as a model for the profession,” NPF judges said.
Highlights included landmark interviews with President Joe Biden, President Donald Trump, Pope Francis, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Owens oversaw consequential investigations, including the five-year report on Havana Syndrome that revealed that Russia could be behind potential attacks on American government officials.
Under his leadership, “60 Minutes” has been honored with its second Insight Award from the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (2022) and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Recorded News Program (2021). Owens has received numerous Emmy and Peabody awards, an IRE Award and contributed to a RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Overall Excellence Award. In 2019 he was recognized as one of Hollywood Reporter’s 35 Most Powerful Media Leaders. He will also receive an RTDNA First Amendment award this year.
Owens’ career with CBS News began in 1988 when he served as a summer intern working at the national political conventions in Atlanta and New Orleans and he rose through nearly every level of the newsroom. His work includes breaking major stories as a senior White House producer during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, producing landmark interviews and international reports, and collaborating on defining coverage of events such as Hurricane Katrina and the genocide in Sudan. Before becoming executive producer, he spent 12 years shaping the editorial vision of “60 Minutes” as senior producer and executive editor, overseeing nearly a thousand segments from conception to broadcast.
“I have worked at CBS News for 37 years, more than half of that at ‘60 Minutes,’ I have been shot at and threatened with jail for protecting a source. I have overseen more than 600 stories as Executive Producer of ’60 [Minutes],'” Owens wrote. “I know who I am and what I have done to cover the most important stories of our time under difficult conditions.”
