CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss abruptly pulled a "60 Minutes" segment on Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison just hours before its scheduled airing last Sunday sparking internal backlash and accusations of political interference.
The segment, titled "Inside CECOT" and reported by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, featured interviews with released deportees describing brutal conditions, including torture, abuse, and human rights violations in the maximum-security facility. It had been promoted in advance, screened multiple times, fact-checked, and cleared by legal and standards teams.
Weiss intervened late Saturday, requesting changes such as adding on-the-record interviews from Trump administration officials (e.g., Stephen Miller) and more context on the legal basis for the deportations. CBS announced the delay ~3 hours before airtime, stating the piece "needed additional reporting" and would air later. The episode proceeded without it, replaced by other content.Alfonsi condemned the decision in an internal email, calling it "not an editorial decision, it is a political one" and corporate censorship. Staff frustration boiled over in meetings, with veteran correspondent Scott Pelley questioning Weiss's last-minute involvement and management style.
pic.twitter.com/Okx1tyRmIN Here’s the full 60 Minutes segment on CECOT that Bari Weiss and CBS censored.
— Lavy (@Lavy02) December 23, 2025
Weiss defended the hold on a Monday staff call and in a Christmas Eve memo (co-signed by CBS News President Tom Cibrowski and deputies), arguing the story lacked new advances beyond prior reporting (e.g., by The New York Times), needed more balance, and aimed to restore viewer trust. She emphasized contentious disagreements should occur respectfully.
The original segment leaked online after accidentally streaming on Canada's Global TV app, circulating widely despite CBS takedown efforts. The incident has fueled concerns about editorial independence at CBS under new Paramount Skydance ownership (led by Trump ally David Ellison) and Weiss's appointment, amid broader tensions over perceived shifts toward centrist or administration-friendly coverage.