CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss Delays 60 Minutes Segment
CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss withdrew a planned 60 Minutes investigative report focusing on alleged abuses at a detention center in El Salvador. The segment, which concerned Venezuelan migrants sent to the facility by the Trump administration, was slated for broadcast on Sunday but was pulled approximately 36 hours prior.
Ms. Weiss communicated internally that the segment could not proceed without an on-the-record statement from a Trump administration official. The story's correspondent, Sharyn Alfonsi, expressed disagreement with this decision in an email to colleagues, stating her belief that it was "not an editorial decision, it is a political one." Ms. Alfonsi added that the team had sought comments and interviews from the Department of Homeland Security, the White House, and the State Department. She wrote, "Government silence is a statement, not a VETO." A CBS spokesperson declined to comment on the matter but indicated the story would air at a later date.
Background and Context
The segment had undergone multiple formal reviews by senior producers, news executives, and legal and standards divisions. A promotional release from CBS News had described the piece as an inside look at CECOT, one of El Salvador's prisons, highlighting "brutal and tortuous conditions" reportedly endured by recently released deportees.
This incident occurs amid a period of leadership transition and scrutiny for CBS News. Last year, Donald Trump initiated a lawsuit against CBS regarding the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. The network's news chief and a top executive at 60 Minutes subsequently resigned as settlement discussions with Trump's legal team progressed. Paramount's previous owners ultimately paid Mr. Trump $16 million to settle the case, without an apology or admission of wrongdoing.
Ms. Weiss's appointment to CBS News earlier this year coincided with the acquisition of Paramount Global by David Ellison's Skydance Media. Ellison's father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, is a financial supporter and adviser to Mr. Trump. David Ellison had previously assured broadcast regulators that the network would foster an environment more welcoming to conservative viewpoints. Ms. Weiss, who founded the online publication The Free Press with a premise that mainstream media is overly liberal, joined CBS News in October following Skydance Media's acquisition of The Free Press.
Internal Discussions
In an earlier review of the report, Ms. Weiss had raised an objection regarding the classification of the individuals as "Venezuelan migrants" rather than "illegal immigrants," a term favored by the Trump administration. It was noted that many of those sent to the Salvadoran prison were not in the U.S. illegally and had pending asylum applications.
Mr. Trump has also publicly criticized the new Paramount owners, without naming them, following a recent 60 Minutes episode that featured Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former ally-turned-critic. He posted on Truth Social, "THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP, who just paid me millions of Dollars for FAKE REPORTING about your favorite President, ME! Since they bought it, 60 Minutes has actually gotten WORSE!"
Ms. Weiss's role at CBS News marks her first in television. She continues to serve as editor of The Free Press and has hosted interviews with conservative figures on CBS, with plans for additional newsmaker interviews.