CBS News Faces Backlash Over Political Decision to Pull Controversial '60 Minutes' Segment

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CBS News made a last-minute decision on Sunday to pull a “60 Minutes” segment from its scheduled lineup. The segment was intended to provide an in-depth look at a controversial Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration has been sending deported Venezuelan migrants.

The abrupt change provoked significant criticism, notably from Sharyn Alfonsi, the correspondent for the segment. In a note seen by multiple media outlets, Alfonsi attributed the decision to “political” reasons.

Hours before the episode was supposed to air, CBS News updated the public on the change via an editor’s note on the “60 Minutes” social media account. The note stated that the segment titled “Inside CECOT” would be rescheduled for a future broadcast.

According to The New York Times, the decision came after newly appointed CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss called for multiple revisions to the segment. A CBS News statement shared by the Times explained that the report “needed additional reporting.”

NPR, meanwhile, reported that Weiss said the segment could not air without first getting an on-the-record statement from the Trump administration.

Alfonsi pushed back on suggestions that the decision to pull the segment was an editorial one, saying in the email, “Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices.”

“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,” she continued.

She also noted in her email that her team reached out to relevant government agencies and the White House with questions and did not get a response.

“Government silence is a statement, not a VETO. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story,” Alfonsi wrote. “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.”

Alfonsi noted that the program had been promoting the story on social media for days and that “viewers are expecting it.”

“When it fails to air without a credible explanation, the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship. We are trading 50 years of ‘Gold Standard’ reputation for a single week of political quiet,” she wrote. “I care too much about this broadcast to watch it be dismantled without a fight.”

Weiss released a statement Sunday night saying, “I look forward to airing this important piece when it’s ready,” according to The New York Times.

“My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be. 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,” she said.

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CBS News Faces Backlash Over Political Decision to Pull Controversial ’60 Minutes’ Segment

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