Frank Rondel
CBS News has unexpectedly decided to withhold a “60 Minutes” segment covering the experiences of Venezuelan men deported under the Trump administration to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, raising concerns among staff and prompting some to threaten resignation, reports customreceipt.com with reference to CNN.
The story, reported by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, had completed fact-checking and legal review before CBS publicized it on Friday afternoon. Alfonsi warned in an internal memo that “the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship.” Sources at CBS told CNN that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss intervened on Saturday morning, ultimately leading to the story being shelved.
Weiss reportedly questioned the story due to a lack of response from the Trump administration. Alfonsi and her team had sought interviews with the Department of Homeland Security, the White House, and the State Department, but received no engagement. Weiss even suggested attempting to reach White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, providing his contact information to the producers. Alfonsi countered that the administration’s silence should not grant them a “veto” over critical reporting, calling it a tactical effort to suppress the story.
In a statement to The New York Times, Weiss defended the decision, stating that her role is “to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be,” and added that holding stories that “lack sufficient context or critical voices” is a common newsroom practice. CBS News previously indicated that the segment required additional reporting, but Alfonsi emphasized in her memo that the story had passed five separate screenings and legal clearances, asserting that pulling it was a political, rather than editorial, choice.
The situation has compounded concerns about the credibility of “60 Minutes.” Sources noted that Weiss’s direct involvement in political stories marks a recent shift in her role, and some staff fear the program is being “dismantled.” The controversy coincides with broader tensions surrounding CBS’s ownership. After Trump sued CBS and Paramount in 2024 over a allegedly deceptive editing of a Kamala Harris interview, corporate leadership changes occurred, with David Ellison assuming control of Paramount and appointing Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief following her acquisition of The Free Press.
Trump’s criticism of CBS and “60 Minutes” has persisted, particularly as he perceives the program to have worsened under new ownership. In recent statements, Trump expressed frustration on Truth Social and at rallies, coinciding with the network’s internal decision to shelve Alfonsi’s story. CBS had previously promoted the segment, titled “INSIDE CECOT,” highlighting the severe and torturous conditions faced by the deportees. Alfonsi stressed that the men she interviewed risked their lives to share their experiences, and shelving the story would constitute a betrayal of journalistic responsibility to give voice to the voiceless.
Earlier we wrote about magnetic storm forecast December 23 2025 in the USA: health risks and protection.