CBS Spikes 60 Minutes Segment on El Salvador Detention Center, Triggering Internal Backlash

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss pulled a 60 Minutes segment on alleged abuse at a Salvadoran prison housing Venezuelan deportees just 36 hours before airtime, prompting correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi to call the decision political rather than editorial in an internal email. Alex Peña/Getty Images The segment, led by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, focused on CECOT, described by CBS as one of El Salvador’s harshest prisons. The Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants there in March. CBS News had already promoted the piece on air and through a press release, which referenced “the brutal and torturous conditions” that some recently released deportees claim they endured. A promotional video was also aired before being pulled along with the story. According to internal sources cited by NPR, Weiss blocked the segment because it lacked an on-the-record response from senior administration officials. She pushed producers to secure an interview with a figure such as Trump adviser Stephen Miller. Alfonsi, in an internal email, denounced the move as “not an editorial decision, it is a political one,” and argued that refusal by government officials to participate should not serve as a veto on coverage. She stated: “Government silence is a statement, not a VETO.” The decision was made amid an increasingly visible editorial shift at CBS News. Bari Weiss was appointed editor-in-chief in October after Skydance Media, led by David Ellison, acquired CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global. Weiss, founder of the Free Press and an opponent of what she describes as left-leaning media orthodoxy, has emphasized restoring trust in journalism through engagement between center-left and center-right viewpoints. Her leadership has coincided with broader restructuring efforts under Ellison, including layoffs and anchor shakeups at CBS. Weiss defended the call to shelve the CECOT story in a staff meeting, arguing that while the piece contained “powerful testimony of torture,” it “did not advance the ball” and needed higher-level sources on the record. She maintained that for a show like 60 Minutes , which operates on long-lead investigative reporting, “we need to be able to get the principals on the record and on camera.” This is not the first contentious move following CBS’s leadership transition. In December, CBS announced that Tony Dokoupil would assume the anchor role for the CBS Evening News in early 2026, replacing co-anchors Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson. Breitbart News reported internal backlash to the appointment, quoting anonymous CBS staff who criticized the selection as aligning with editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’s pro-Israel views and cited Dokoupil’s prior confrontation with author Ta-Nehisi Coates over antisemitism. Breitbart News characterized Dokoupil’s questioning as a rare instance of pushing back against media orthodoxy, which it suggested Weiss viewed favorably. Weiss reportedly sought to recruit Fox News anchors Dana Perino and Brett Baier for the CBS Evening News anchor role before ultimately selecting Tony Dokoupil. Both reportedly declined due to contractual obligations. Weiss’s leadership at CBS News has coincided with ownership changes under Paramount chief David Ellison, whose family - particularly Oracle founder Larry Ellison - is known for supporting...

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