’60 Minutes’ runs the ‘Inside CECOT’ story previously shelved by Bari Weiss

by

The “60 Minutes” report about a prison in El Salvador, which caused initial problems for CBS News’ editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, aired on Sunday.

The segment, titled “Inside CECOT,” reported on how the Trump administration deported hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to a particularly harsh prison in El Salvador. Originally planned to air on December 21st, the segment was delayed after CBS News president Susan Zirinsky, then known as Weiss, determined it required further investigation and a stronger statement from the White House.

Sharyn Alfonsi, the “60 Minutes” reporter who spent months working on the story, objected to the decision made by Weiss, telling her colleagues in an email that she believed it was driven by political reasons.

As a film and TV buff, I’ve been following this situation with Paramount and it’s pretty fascinating – and a little concerning. Apparently, when David Ellison at Paramount brought in Weiss back in October, a lot of people inside CBS News felt it was a strategic move to keep the Trump administration happy. The big picture is that Paramount’s trying to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, and they need the government to approve it. But then, they pulled a segment that was critical of the administration after they’d already started promoting it, which just made it look even more like they were trying to avoid trouble. It really casts a shadow over everything, you know?

CBS News maintained that the story would eventually run.

CBS News has consistently planned to broadcast the 60 MINUTES report as soon as it was finished. Tonight, viewers will finally see it, alongside other significant stories that demonstrate CBS News’ commitment to independent journalism and compelling storytelling.

Hollywood Inc.

A former opinion editor at The New York Times and the creator of Free Press is entering the challenging world of television news.

Weiss felt Alfonsi’s report needed further investigation and wanted a comment from a White House spokesperson. The final segment that aired on Sunday included three and a half minutes of extra details, but didn’t feature any new interviews.

The White House offered statements that were included at the beginning and end of the news segment. The story was also updated with information about the number of criminals captured by ICE.

The investigation also showed that one of the prisoners who told Alfonsi about the abuse at CECOT had tattoos of a swastika and the numbers ‘666’ – symbols linked to the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist gang.

Officials have been looking at tattoos to try and identify if migrants without legal documentation are involved in gangs. The person interviewed stated they were not a gang member and didn’t know what the tattoos meant.

When the CECOT segment was removed, it quickly became a big story in the media world. While Weiss initially dismissed it as simply a result of a quiet news cycle, many within the news division felt her decision was a significant mistake. They believed it showed a lack of experience in television news leadership and a failure to understand how closely the industry watches every move.

Sources close to Weiss say she has admitted she didn’t understand how “60 Minutes” promotes its stories through TV listings and previews. She also told coworkers she should have reviewed Alfonsi’s story earlier in the process. She first saw it the Thursday before it aired on December 21st.

Donald Trump has frequently criticized the news program “60 Minutes,” claiming it hasn’t been fair to him. He previously won a $16 million settlement from CBS News after suing them over an interview with his 2024 presidential opponent, Kamala Harris.

Trump asserted that the program was unfairly manipulated to boost Harris’s campaign. Although CBS News would probably have won any legal battle over the matter, they chose to pay a settlement to allow Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media to proceed smoothly.

After Paramount bought her online publication, The Free Press – known for its critical takes on left-leaning policies – Weiss joined CBS News. One of her first actions at the network was hosting a prime-time town hall featuring Erika Kirk, the wife of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Weiss also led the challenging relaunch of “CBS Evening News” featuring new anchor Tony Dokoupil. The program experienced early technical problems and faced criticism for seemingly favoring the Trump administration in its reporting. A veteran senior producer, Javier Guzman, was let go after consistently voicing his concerns about the show’s new approach.

The program featured several awkward exchanges, notably when President Trump told Vladimir Duthiers that Kamala Harris winning the 2024 election would have prevented Duthiers from getting his current job.

Read More

2026-01-19 03:31