CBS News pulled a planned investigative segment from Sunday night’s broadcast of 60 Minutes just days after new Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss took the helm, igniting internal backlash and renewed scrutiny of the network’s editorial independence.
The report focused on allegations of abuse at El Salvador’s CECOT detention center, where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants earlier this year. The segment had been scheduled to air less than 48 hours after Weiss decided it could not run without an on-the-record response from a Trump administration official, according to people with knowledge of the decision. Those sources said the story had already undergone extensive editorial, legal and standards reviews.
CBS News had promoted the segment publicly on Friday, describing harsh prison conditions reported by recently released deportees. Promotional videos aired and were posted to social media before being removed, and the network later revised its publicity materials. CBS said the story would air at a later date but declined further comment.
The decision drew sharp criticism inside 60 Minutes. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi objected to the move in a message to colleagues, arguing that the refusal of government officials to participate should not prevent publication. Producers on the story had sought comment from the Department of Homeland Security, the White House and the State Department, according to people familiar with the reporting.
The controversy unfolded against the backdrop of major leadership and ownership changes at CBS News. Weiss, founder of the online publication The Free Press, joined the network this fall after Skydance Media, led by David Ellison, acquired CBS parent Paramount Global. Weiss has argued that legacy media outlets need to rebuild trust by emphasizing balance and debate, particularly between center-left and center-right perspectives.
CBS has also faced political and legal pressures in recent years. Paramount previously settled a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes interview, a deal that coincided with corporate efforts to smooth federal regulatory approval for the sale. Earlier this year, senior 60 Minutes leadership resigned amid concerns that corporate executives were limiting editorial autonomy.
Weiss’s role has drawn particular attention given her continued leadership of The Free Press and her public criticism of mainstream media coverage of Trump. Her early involvement in editorial decisions at 60 Minutes, a program known for long-lead investigative reporting, has intensified debate over whether the network’s journalistic independence is being reshaped under new management.
CBS announced the programming change just two hours before Sunday’s broadcast, an unusually late decision for the network’s flagship newsmagazine and one that has amplified concerns both inside and outside the newsroom.
Source: NPR