CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss issued a statement. 60 minutes segment about alleged abuses at a Salvadoran prison holding Venezuelan deportees just 36 hours before airing, prompting correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi to call the decision political rather than editorial in an internal email.
The story, anchored by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, focused on the CECOT prison, which CBS called one of the harshest prisons in El Salvador. The Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants there in March. CBS News had already promoted the story on air and in a press release that referred to the “brutal and torturous conditions” some recently released deportees said they were subjected to. A promotional video was also shown before it was added with this story.
According to internal sources quoted Weiss blocked the segment because there was no official response from senior administration officials, NPR reported. She pushed producers to interview figures such as Trump adviser Stephen Miller. Alfonsi, in an internal email, denounced the move as “not an editorial decision, but a political one” and said government officials' refusal to participate should not serve as a veto on coverage. She said: “Government silence is a statement, not a veto.”
The solution was did among increasingly noticeable editorial changes at CBS News. Bari Weiss was named editor-in-chief in October after David Ellison-led Skydance Media acquired Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS. Weiss, founder Free press and an opponent of what she calls center-left media orthodoxy, emphasizes the need to restore trust in journalism through interaction between center-left and center-right viewpoints. Her leadership coincided with broader restructuring efforts under Ellison, including layoffs and anchor shakeups at CBS.
Weiss protected calling for the CECOT story to be shelved at a staff meeting, arguing that while the article contained “strong evidence of torture,” it “does not advance the case” and requires higher-level sources on the record. She claimed that for a show like 60 minuteswho engages in long-term investigative journalism, “we need to be able to capture the key people on the record and on camera.”
This isn't the first controversial move since CBS' leadership changes. In December CBS announced that Tony Dokoupil will take over as anchor of the CBS Evening News in early 2026, replacing co-anchors Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson. Breitbart News reported internal backlash to the appointment, citing anonymous CBS employees who criticized the choice as being in line with editor-in-chief Bari Weiss's pro-Israel views and cited Dokoupil's previous confrontation with writer Ta-Nehisi Coates over anti-Semitism. Breitbart News characterized Dokoupil's interrogation as a rare case of resistance to media orthodoxy, which he believed Weiss viewed favorably.
Weiss reportedly tried to recruit Fox News hosts Dana Perino and Brett Baier to participate in the project. CBS Evening News the role of host before ultimately choosing Tony Dokoupil. Both reportedly declined due to contractual obligations. Weiss' leadership at CBS News coincided with a change in ownership under Paramount chief David Ellison, whose family — especially Oracle founder Larry Ellison — is known for its support of President Donald Trump. During the Skydance-Paramount merger process, David Ellison promised federal regulators that CBS would become more welcoming to conservatives.
The editorial recalibration at CBS comes amid internal debate over the handling of the CECOT report. NPR reported The segment was fully vetted by senior producers, news executives and the network's legal and standards departments, according to two people familiar with the process. In an internal email, correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi said the decision to pull the story reflected political considerations and not editorial opinion. A CBS spokesman declined to comment but indicated that an updated program announcement noted the story would air at a later date.
Weiss said she strives to provide greater narrative balance at CBS News by encouraging interaction between center-left and center-right viewpoints. However, her work with the CECOT segment highlighted tensions over the way the network organized its immigration coverage. In earlier reviews, Weiss objected to describing the detainees as “Venezuelan migrants,” reportedly preferring the term “illegal immigrants,” language commonly used by the Trump administration. Many of the people sent to CECOT had applied for asylum and were awaiting a decision on their cases.
Trump continued to criticize CBS after its acquisition by new owners. After 60 minutes In a segment featuring Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, he wrote on Truth Social: “THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERS WHO JUST PAID ME MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR FALSE REPORTS ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE PRESIDENT, ME!” The remark referred to the $16 million settlement paid by previous owner Paramount to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump over the editing 60 minutes interview. The settlement did not include any apology or admission of wrongdoing and was part of an effort to facilitate the sale of Paramount to the Ellison family.
Meanwhile, the CBS newsroom experienced significant shocks. About 100 jobs were cut, including high-profile layoffs and a planned overhaul CBS Saturday morning. Online sources described the atmosphere as “depressing and unhappy.”
