Inside the Bari Weiss decision that led to a '60 Minutes' crisis

By Brian Stelter, CNN Photo: CNN Newsource Earlier this month, after President Donald Trump blasted 60 Minutes for interviewing Marjorie Taylor Greene, correspondents noticed a change behind the scenes. "Bari Weiss got personally involved," specifically with stories about politics, a source at the program told CNN. It was her prerogative as the new editor-in-chief of CBS News, and some conservative critics of the CBS newsmagazine would probably say it was necessary. But her presence prompted concern among 60 Minutes journalists - and perhaps now the program's viewers are finding out why. Over the weekend, Weiss sparked a crisis inside 60 Minutes by shelving Sharyn Alfonsi's report about Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration to a notorious maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Alfonsi said in an internal memo that "the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship." Weiss, who reports directly to Paramount CEO David Ellison, pushed back by saying the story was "not ready." Weiss also said in a statement, "I look forward to airing this important piece when it's ready." In the meantime, there is a sudden surge of audience interest in the prison, known as CECOT, and the allegations of abuse there. Human Rights Watch said last month that "many of these abuses constitute torture under international human rights law." Let's walk through the timeline of how this controversy unfolded. Photo: Screenshot Timing is everything Alfonsi's story, titled "INSIDE CECOT," was many weeks in the making. Weiss first screened the segment on Thursday night, two CBS News sources told CNN. She had some notes for the producers, but the story moved forward. In total, the story "was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices," Alfonsi wrote in her memo. "It is factually correct." Here is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her ‘60 Minutes’ colleagues in full: pic.twitter.com/ilGoSROQEs — Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) December 22, 2025 Come Friday, the staff thought the story was ready to go. Alfonsi taped her introductory remarks. Executive producer Tanya Simon gave CBS News PR the green light to publicize the segment. 60 Minutes segments are announced in advance, usually on Fridays, for promotional purposes. And that's why the next turn of events generated so much turmoil inside the network news division. On Saturday morning, Weiss messaged Simon with additional concerns about the story, two CBS sources told CNN. One of the main issues was the lack of a response from the Trump administration to the reporting. She also "took issue with the phrasing of 'migrant detainees,'" one of the sources said. Of course, that's Weiss's prerogative as the top editor. But everyone at CBS News knows how 60 Minutes works - how the pieces are screened, when the PR listings are sent out, what the rigourous internal processes are like. Alfonsi had already flown home to Texas by the time Weiss insisted on changes, a CBS source said. The reporter told colleagues that she "learned on Saturday" that Weiss "spiked our story." Alfonsi and producer Oriana Zill de Granados then "asked for a call to discuss her decision. She did not afford us that courtesy/opportunity." Weiss has not responded directly to that charge. The change in plans was not finalized until Sunday, hours before airtime, one of the CBS sources said. A planned segment by Jon Wertheim was slotted into Alfonsi's place. A CBS spokesperson shared the revised schedule and stated, "Our report 'Inside CECOT' will air in a future broadcast." Some newsroom staffers had already heard about the abrupt change and had sent Alfonsi worried messages. Others read about the scheduling change and were astonished - even more so after Alfonsi's memo made the rounds. The correspondent's account of "political" interference sounded like the earth-shattering moment that staffers have feared all year as Ellison moved to take over Paramount. Ellison has publicly praised 60 Minutes and spoken optimistically about restoring trust in the news media. But his hiring of Weiss rankled some at CBS, given her lack of TV expertise and traditional reporting experience. Photo: Screenshot How Weiss defended the decision Alfonsi's memo made its way to news outlets, including The New York Times and CNN, ensuring widespread criticism of the decision to shelve the story. Weiss then pushed back on Sunday night by saying in a statement, "My job is to make sure that all 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. I look forward to airing this important piece when it's ready." It's unclear when that will be. However, it means Weiss is at odds with her own producers and editors in a visceral way. "People are threatening to quit over this," one of the CBS sources told CNN. On...

Inside the Bari Weiss decision that led to a '60 Minutes' crisis

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Inside the Bari Weiss decision that led to a '60 Minutes' crisis

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