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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss said holding stories that lack sufficient context or key perspectives is a routine newsroom decision, after the network abruptly pulled a planned 60 Minutes report on Trump administration deportations of immigrants to El Salvador just hours before it was scheduled to air Sunday.
The segment, reported by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi and focused on deportees sent to El Salvador’s high-security CECOT prison, was shelved because Weiss wanted additional perspective from the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the decision.
Newsweek reached out to CBS and Weiss earlier Monday for comment via email.
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Why It Matters
The decision, announced publicly about two hours before broadcast, has intensified scrutiny of Weiss, the founder of The Free Press, who was installed as CBS News’ top editor this fall following Paramount’s acquisition.
President Donald Trump has been sharply critical of 60 Minutes. He sued the program last fall over its interview with election opponent Kamala Harris, a case settled this summer, and recently complained about an interview with former ally-turned-critic Marjorie Taylor Greene.
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What To Know
Weiss came under criticism Sunday night, when it was announced that the segment on the Salvadoran prison had been held. Some people responding to the news accused the recently-appointed editor-in-chief of bowing to the Trump administration on the matter.
In a statement to The New York Times, Weiss said, “My job is to make sure that all the 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 she looked forward to airing Alfonsi’s piece “when it’s ready.”
In an editorial staff call on Monday, Weiss reportedly told colleagues that she wanted to run a newsroom where "contentious disagreements about the thorniest editorial matters" could happen with respect, and that the best intentions could be assumed by colleagues.
She also said that the 60 Minutes piece did not move the story on CECOT forward compared to other reporting by other outlets like The New York Times.
In an email to colleagues reported by multiple media outlets, Alfonsi said she learned Saturday that Weiss had decided not to air the piece, which she said was factually accurate and had been cleared by CBS attorneys and standards officials. “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 wrote.
What Is El Salvador’s CECOT Megaprison?
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CECOT dominated American headlines in March, when the Trump administration struck a deal to speedily deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, under the Alien Enemies Act. Under the agreement, El Salvador was paid $4.76 million to house 300 immigrants accused of being part of the group.
The agreement had been reached on March 14, the day before two flights carrying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees left the U.S. for El Salvador, despite a court hearing being underway at the time, which resulted in a ruling seeking to halt the flights.
Among those on board was Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man the administration later admitted had been deported because of an administrative error, and several Venezuelan nationals who had not had their day in immigration court.
The prison was built under President Nayab Bukele in 2022, as part of his crackdown on gangs in the country. As a high-security facility, glimpses inside are rare, and many reports claim that once prisoners enter, they are unlikely to leave. The facility has a capacity for 40,000 inmates.
Immigrants deported by the U.S. to CECOT have spoken of abuse and torture at the facility, which houses some of El Salvador's most notorious criminals.
Who Owns CBS?
CBS is owned by Paramount Skydance, after a merger between the two companies was approved by the FCC earlier this year.
Paramount Skydance has drawn significant attention and some backlash in recent months following Paramount’s $16 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump, its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance and the announced cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Weiss was then appointed the new head of CBS News in the fall. She promised to champion free speech and bring in voices from across the political spectrum, but has been criticized over some of her editorial decisions at a legacy news outlet.
What People Are Saying
**Sharyn Alfonsi, writing about the segment being held: “**Government silence is a statement, not a VETO. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story. 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.”
Democratic political commentator Marco Foster wrote on X: "This is the now deleted teaser for the 60 Minutes report that was supposed to air tonight on the CECOT torture prison in El Salvador that Donald Trump sent hundreds of migrants to. CBS is officially a mouthpiece for the Trump administration thanks to Bari Weiss."
What's Next
CBS has said the CECOT piece will air at a later date, but the controversy over this latest decision by Weiss will likely mean the network remains under the spotlight for now.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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