60 Minutes’ Former Executive Producer Bill Owens to Receive Lovejoy Award for Courage in Journalism
The veteran journalist will be honored for an unwavering commitment to independence and truth-telling
Bill Owens, former executive producer of 60 Minutes and winner of multiple Emmy Awards, will receive the 2025 Lovejoy Award for Courage in Journalism from Colby College on October 24. The event includes the presentation of the award and a conversation with Amna Nawaz, co-anchor of PBS Newshour and a member of the selection committee.
A 37-year veteran with CBS News, Owens is highly regarded as a champion for independent decision making and for his commitment to the truth. He began his career with CBS News in 1988 and joined the management team of 60 Minutes as senior broadcast producer in 2007, having previously held the same title for the CBS Evening News. For the next 12 years, he supervised 60 Minutes’ content as senior producer and executive editor. He was named executive producer in 2019.
In the 2023-24 season, Owens led 60 Minutes through a historic milestone when the show marked its 50th consecutive season as the top TV news program, the first time in television history that any show occupied the number one spot for five decades.
Under his comprehensive leadership, 60 Minutes was recognized with its second Insight Award from the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Recorded News Program. Owens made headlines in April when he stepped down from 60 Minutes, citing intrusions on his journalistic independence.
“Every year, in tribute to Elijah Lovejoy, we honor a journalist who embodies the principles of freedom of the press—one of the most fundamental and important elements of our democracy,” said President David A. Greene. “Bill Owens, like Lovejoy, refused to compromise his commitment to independent reporting. In doing so, he brought public attention to the internal pressures that threaten a free and independent press. We are grateful for the opportunity to honor him.”
Owens was astonished when he received news of the Lovejoy Award. “This is a gigantic award, and I’m not sure I’m worthy of it,” he said. “When I saw the way people are nominated and then selected—and the committee that’s involved in it—I was really floored. It means a lot to me. Not all awards are created equal.”
The award is also personal for Owens. His mother, a New Englander, revered Colby for its academic rigor. “Her big dream was that I would go to Colby,” said Owens, who is thrilled to now have an affiliation with the College. “My mom would be very proud of this.”
A career to be proud of
In addition to his Emmy awards, Owens received an IRE Award from the nonprofit Investigative Reporters and Editors, an RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Overall Excellence Award, and an honorary degree from his alma mater, Towson University. In 2019 he was named one of Hollywood Reporter‘s 35 Most Powerful Media Leaders.
“I’m very proud of my career,” Owens told Colby News. “I’m very thankful and grateful. I had a lot of great bosses who mentored me along the way and gave me opportunities. I got to see the world. I covered every president going back to Clinton, and wars, but also fun things, interesting things.”
The Lovejoy legacy
The Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award has honored contemporary journalists since 1952. The award is named for Lovejoy, the 1826 valedictorian at Colby and a crusading abolitionist editor shot dead by a mob in 1837 for his impassioned anti-slavery editorials. John Quincy Adams called him America’s first martyr to freedom of the press.
“Bill’s decision to step down and speak out was a wake-up call for journalists everywhere. It was an act of integrity, bravery, and unwavering commitment to the truth—the same ideals that informed his work over decades of leadership,” said Nawaz. “At this moment, with journalism and journalists under attack, Bill’s voice, example, and legacy are critical to defending and upholding the Fourth Estate.”
Owens joins recent recipients Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal journalist held for 16 months in a Russian jail; Ukrainian photojournalists Evgeniy Maloletka and Mstyslav Chernov; and Miami Herald Caribbean correspondent Jacqueline Charles.
“I’m not sure my name belongs in the same sentence as Elijah Parish Lovejoy,” said Owens. “I mean, the man gave his life for something. Listen, I’ve covered wars, and I’ve been threatened with jail for protecting sources and all that sort of thing. I’m very proud to be part of the [Lovejoy] legacy, but I like to think of [60 Minutes] as a team. And what I did was for the team.”
The presentation of the Lovejoy Award will include a discussion between Owens and Nawaz. President Greene will offer remarks and present the award. The public is invited to attend the free event at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, in the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts on Colby’s campus.
