A CBS News insider described Bari Weiss’ decision to pull a hard-hitting “60 Minutes” segment on the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan migrants as a “series of unfortunate events” starting Friday when the CBS News editor-in-chief raised misgivings about the piece.
Weiss screened correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi’s piece, “Inside CECOT,” on Thursday and had suggestions, which were addressed, according to the insider. But Weiss had second thoughts on Friday, and wanted an administration voice in the piece.
CBS News management also began sharing second thoughts, which played out over the weekend, leading to a decision on Sunday just hours before the piece was scheduled to air.
“It was approved, but there were second thoughts, and they didn’t act,” said the insider, wondering why no one asked Weiss to use her clout at the White House to get a Trump representative to address the subject.
“You can have second thoughts, but why not use your best weapon to get something?”
If Weiss had journalistic misgivings about the segment, and specifically, that there wasn’t an administration official on the record, she could’ve used her relationship with the Trump White House to try and arrange an interview.
The insider said Weiss wasn’t the only one with concerns about the story. However, Weiss’ decision to communicate her concern in an email on Sunday was akin to a “suicide note” in terms of damaging her credibility with staff.
Despite such discussion behind the scenes, CBS News PR on Friday promoted the “60 Minutes” investigation into the “brutal and torturous conditions” inside El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, and a teaser clip was posted online.
It wasn’t until three hours before Sunday’s broadcast that “60 Minutes” announced the segment would not run as planned, raising fears that management pulled the piece out of concern with angering Donald Trump, who had twice suggested this past week that “60 Minutes” was “far worse” under the stewardship of Paramount chief David Ellison, who is currently vying to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, a media deal the president suggested he’d be involved in.
In an email to colleagues, Alfonsi said the piece “was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices,” and holding it was a “political,” decision, rather than an editorial one. She also mentioned having requested interviews with the Department of Homeland Security, the White House, and the State Department.
“My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be,” Weiss said in a statement. “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. I look forward to airing this important piece when it’s ready.”
On Monday’s editorial call with staff, Weiss said she held the story because it was “not ready” and “did not advance the ball,” an explanation that is unlikely to satisfy critics.
The “60 Minutes” situation was clearly mishandled given that, if there were journalistic concerns, they should’ve been addressed before promoting the story since Friday and only pulling it hours before it was scheduled to air Sunday night.
The end result is that it appears as if CBS News pulled a punch to avoid conflict with the Trump administration, while the insider said it was more complicated than that. But the lack of trust between Weiss and “60 Minutes” is a complicating factor.
“It’s f–ked up,” said the insider.
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