CBS News has abruptly pulled a scheduled ’60 Minutes’ segment investigating the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan migrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador, sparking internal turmoil and accusations of political interference. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who reported the story, condemned the decision as ‘corporate censorship’ in an internal memo, while new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss cited the lack of an on-the-record comment from the Trump administration as the reason for shelving the piece.
The segment, titled ‘INSIDE CECOT,’ was set to air on Sunday night and featured interviews with recently released deportees who described enduring ‘brutal and torturous conditions’ at the CECOT maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Alfonsi and her team had sought responses from the Department of Homeland Security, the White House, and the State Department, but the administration declined to engage, a move Alfonsi characterized as a strategic silence designed to kill the story.
Weiss intervened on Saturday morning, just a day and a half before broadcast, raising concerns about the absence of administration voices. According to sources, she suggested interviewing White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and even provided his contact information. However, Alfonsi argued that allowing the administration’s refusal to participate to veto the story would set a dangerous precedent, effectively handing them a ‘kill switch’ for inconvenient reporting.
The decision has ignited a fierce backlash within CBS News, with some staffers threatening to quit over what they see as a compromise of journalistic principles. Alfonsi’s memo stated that the story had undergone five screenings and was cleared by both CBS attorneys and the Standards and Practices division, making the last-minute pull unprecedented. She asserted that the move was ‘not an editorial decision, it is a political one,’ highlighting tensions under the network’s new leadership.
Bari Weiss was installed as editor-in-chief earlier this year after David Ellison’s Skydance Media acquired CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, and her startup, The Free Press. Weiss, a vocal critic of mainstream media bias, has pledged to bring balance to CBS News, but her lack of television experience and perceived conservative leanings have drawn skepticism. The Ellison family, with ties to President Trump through Oracle founder Larry Ellison, has also faced scrutiny over potential political influences on news coverage.
This incident is set against the backdrop of Trump’s ongoing feud with CBS. In late 2024, Trump sued the network over a ’60 Minutes’ interview with Kamala Harris, leading to a $16 million settlement by Paramount’s previous owners. The settlement facilitated the sale to the Ellisons, who promised regulators a more conservative-friendly approach. Recently, Trump has publicly criticized the new ownership, complaining about ’60 Minutes’ coverage despite their financial support.
The shelving of the CECOT segment raises profound questions about the independence of CBS News under its current ownership. Journalists within the network fear that corporate and political pressures could erode the credibility of ’60 Minutes,’ a long-standing pillar of investigative journalism. As the story remains in limbo, with CBS stating it will air ‘when it’s ready,’ the episode underscores the challenges facing media organizations in an era of heightened political polarization and ownership consolidation.
