CBS News’s embattled news magazine program “60 Minutes” is returning from its long summer break this Sunday, and it is kicking off its new season with a topic that could prove controversial for the reliably liberal program: the murder of Charlie Kirk.

A preview of the new episode notes that journalist Scott Pelley will interview the Republican governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, in a segment titled “A Lonely Voice.”

“In the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, called for unity and civility. It was an unexpected message delivered by an unexpected messenger at a time when political violence in America is on the rise,” a preview excerpt of the interview reads.

In a 30-second promotional video, Mr. Cox says, “I’m trying to get people to stop shooting each other. That’s it.”

Mr. Pelley says, “Not many knew Utah’s governor before the assassination of Charlie Kirk. But Spencer Cox has been on a year’s long crusade to heal American politics.”

The video ends with Mr. Cox stating that he does not believe it is “hyperbole” to say that “the future of our country is at stake.”

Mr. Pelley’s narration for the promotional video does not explain why the call for civility from Mr. Cox, a conservative Republican from a beet-red state, is “an unexpected message delivered by an unexpected messenger.” Past “60 Minutes” segments have portrayed conservatives as violent (on January 6) or cruel and anti-Democratic (with regard to the Trump administration).

Mr. Cox has been praised by left-wing and conservative outlets for his impassioned appeal for unity after Kirk’s assassination. Mr. Cox urged Americans upset by the murder not to resort to violence as he noted residents of his state held “vigils and prayers,” which he said is “the answer to this.”

While the governor garnered significant attention for his appeal to a peaceful, prayerful response to Kirk’s murder amid rising political tensions, he was not alone in urging Americans not to resort to violence or rioting. 

President Trump noted that Kirk was “an advocate of nonviolence” and said that’s “the way I’d like to see people respond.”

Many conservative commentators who were friends with Kirk repeatedly pointed out that his mission on college campuses was to engage in civil dialogue. After Kirk’s assassination, many conservatives shared videos of him disavowing violence.

“When you stop having a human connection with someone you disagree with. It becomes a lot easier to want to commit violence against the group,” Kirk says in one video. “What we as a culture have to get back to is being able to have a reasonable disagreement where violence is not an option.”

“60 Minutes” faced heavy criticism earlier this year, and its editing of Vice President Kamala Harris’s October 2024 interview led Mr. Trump to sue CBS for $20 billion — it also led to a news distortion complaint with the Federal Communications Commission — which threw the network and its merger with Skydance Media into turmoil as the program defiantly aired weekly anti-Trump stories last spring. Since it went on break in May, Skydance has taken over CBS, and its executives have committed to fair journalism. The new owners have hired a former president of the right-leaning Hudson Institute, Kenneth Weinstein, to be its new ombudsman to review complaints of bias.

The changes at the Tiffany Network have led to questions about whether “60 Minutes” will be able to operate with its same level of independence, and whether its correspondents would say anything on the air about the Trump settlement and Skydance takeover.

It is unclear whether the new “lonely voice” segment will address what many conservatives feel is inflammatory rhetoric from Democrats about Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out deportation operations in light of what law enforcement says was a targeted attack on an ICE facility at Dallas. 

Other liberal networks have faced harsh criticism over their coverage of Kirk’s shooting. MSNBC fired a contributor, Matthew Dowd, after he blamed Kirk’s shooting on the conservative commentator’s commentary. And ABC’s chief national correspondent, Matt Gutman, apologized amid outrage over his descriptions of texts between the man accused of shooting Kirk and his transgender romantic partner as “very touching.”

ABC’s late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, was suspended for nearly a week, and his show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” has been preempted by two of the nation’s largest station groups, Sinclair and Nexstar, after he stated that a ““MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.” Mr. Kimmel’s refusal to apologize for the comment and to instead insist he was taken out of context infuriated conservatives. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Trump appeared to suggest he might sue ABC again, months after it paid $16 million to settle his defamation lawsuit after star George Stephanopoulos falsely and repeatedly said he was “found liable for rape.”

Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his “talent” was never there. Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE.”

“He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution. I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings,” Mr. Trump added.

CBS could face intense backlash and potential legal perils if conservatives and Mr. Trump feel that “60 Minutes” is pointing the blame for rising tensions and political violence on MAGA and the right.

CBS News did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.