Bari Weiss, CBS’s new editor in chief, is facing widespread blowback across the media for a decision to pull a “60 Minutes” segment she argues was not ready for publication, while a top journalist at the network contends the decision was based on political pressure and capitulation to the Trump administration.
The controversy comes as Paramount, CBS’s parent company, is under a microscope over its relationship with the administration while it seeks to expand its media empire and retool the network’s editorial direction.
Here’s what to know about the latest “60 Minutes” conflict:
Sharyn Alfonsi blasts her new boss
CBS abruptly announced it would not run the segment, which was set to highlight conditions inside the notorious Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration has deported Venezuelan migrants, after promoting it in the days prior.
Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who reported the piece for CBS, hours later wrote to colleagues at the network saying her bosses had pulled the segment for what she argued were insufficient reasons.
“Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices,” Alfonsi wrote in her note, which was shared with multiple media outlets. “It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now—after every rigorous internal check has been met, is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.”
Alfonsi’s pushback on her bosses is an extraordinary step for a top journalist working at one of the nation’s leading news programs. Her condemnation of top brass comes as the network has invited scrutiny since President Trump won reelection.
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Trump has in recent days criticized “60 Minutes” and CBS’s new ownership directly, arguing the outlet is treating him unfairly, despite speculation that new Paramount boss David Ellison is seeking favor with the president.
Weiss, hired to run CBS News after Paramount purchased her outlet The Free Press, has been given a mandate to reshape the network’s editorial coverage toward a more centrist viewpoint.
Critics say yanked segment reeks of political pressure
News of the segment’s cancellation rippled across the media and political ecosystems overnight Sunday.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill who are often critical of Trump and his allies seized on the incident, arguing it was further evidence that the administration’s efforts to intimidate news outlets are working.
“What is happening to CBS is a terrible embarrassment and if executives think they can build shareholder value by avoiding journalism that might offend the Mad King they are about to learn a tough lesson,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) wrote on the social platform X. “This is still America and we don’t enjoy bulls— like this.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said the decision hurts the network’s reputation.
“A free press isn’t free if stories get shelved just because the powerful won’t talk,” Khanna said in a social media post of his own. “CBS pulling the CECOT story on Venezuelan deportees sent to El Salvador’s brutal prison erodes trust. We are losing trust that government and media serve us, not the elite.”
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), a Republican and leading Trump critic, posted screenshots of him canceling his membership to Paramount+, the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming service.
“State owned media,” the former congressman wrote in a string of social media posts blasting the network.
However, CBS’s new top leader is not backing down from a decision she says was necessary to maintain fairness to the administration.
Weiss defends decision
Weiss defended her decision to pull the segment by saying it lacked proper context and comment from administration officials.
“I look forward to airing this important piece when it’s ready,” she said in a statement on Sunday issued to The New York Times. “My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be.”
Weiss added, “Holding stories that aren’t ready for whatever reason — that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices — happens every day in every newsroom.”
The CBS News boss further addressed the decision in a morning call, according to CNN’s Brian Stelter.
“I held a ’60 Minutes’ story because it was not ready,” Stelter quoted Weiss as saying. “While the story presented powerful testimony of torture at CECOT, it did not advance the ball—the Times and other outlets have previously done similar work. The public knows that Venezuelans have been subjected to horrific treatment at this prison. To run a story on this subject two months later, we need to do more. And this is ’60 Minutes.’ We need to be able to get the principals on the record and on camera.”
Alfonsi said the White House did not respond to requests for comment on the story.
“Government silence is a statement, not a VETO. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story,” the correspondent wrote to colleagues. “If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient.”
Paramount pursues major mergers
Led by Ellison, the son of tech tycoon and Trump ally Larry Ellison, Paramount has emerged as one of the world’s most scrutinized media conglomerates in recent months.
The company merged with fellow moviemaker Skydance this summer after it paid a $16 million settlement to the Trump administration over a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris that aired last fall, which Trump sued over.
The company also canceled Trump critic and comedian Stephen Colbert’s late-night show and explicitly promised the Federal Communications Commission it will focus more on representing a “diverse set of viewpoints” in its news coverage moving forward.
The latest controversy at “60 Minutes” comes as the Ellisons are mounting a hostile bid for Warner Brothers Discovery, the massive media company that owns top brands in news and entertainment like TNT Sports and CNN.
Trump has expressed a desire to see CNN operate under new ownership.
The Ellisons have reportedly lobbied Trump directly, hoping he will support their bid, which would create one of the largest media companies on earth and need to clear government regulators.
“This is what government censorship looks like,” said Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). “Trump approved the Paramount-Skydance merger. A few months later, CBS’s new editor in chief kills a deeply reported story critical of Trump. A sad day for ’60 Minutes’ and journalism.”
