The newly appointed head of CBS News, Bari Weiss, is embroiled in a fierce internal and public backlash after her controversial decision to pull a 60 Minutes investigation into the Trump administration's deportation of migrants to a notorious Salvadoran prison.
A Christmas Eve Plea Backfires
In a desperate attempt to quell the uproar, Weiss sent a company-wide email on Christmas Eve with the subject line 'Building Trust'. The message, which was swiftly leaked online, argued that journalists must work to win back the trust of a sceptical American public. 'Right now, the majority of Americans say they do not trust the press. It isn't because they're crazy,' Weiss wrote.
She defended the last-minute shelving of the segment, titled 'Inside CECOT', stating that such editorial decisions to ensure fairness and comprehensiveness were necessary, even if controversial. 'No amount of outrage - whether from activist organizations or the White House will derail us,' she declared.
However, the holiday message spectacularly backfired. Critics online lambasted its tone, with historian Kevin M. Kruse accusing Weiss of hypocrisy, noting she 'made her career sowing distrust in mainstream media'.
The Spiked Segment and Internal Revolt
The crisis began when Weiss cancelled the investigative piece just two hours before the scheduled broadcast. The segment featured interviews with two Venezuelan men deported by US authorities to the CECOT prison in El Salvador, a facility praised by former President Donald Trump.
The men gave harrowing accounts of their treatment. One, a college student, described being tortured and said a guard told them, 'Welcome to Hell, I'll make sure you never leave.' Another recounted being beaten in a dark punishment cell.
Veteran correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who reported the piece, fired back in a furious email to colleagues. She stated the report had been 'screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct.' Alfonsi argued that pulling it was 'not an editorial decision, it is a political one' and warned Weiss was 'dismantling' the broadcast's reputation.
Sources at the network told CNN that 'people are threatening to quit over this.'
Political Firestorm and Defiant Defence
The controversy drew immediate political commentary. Stephen Miller, former White House deputy chief of staff for policy, called for the firing of the 60 Minutes producers involved, labelling the segment a 'hatchet job' that sought sympathy for 'gang members'.
Weiss, however, denied any political motive. She later told staff the segment was spiked because it 'did not advance the ball' and that similar work had been done by outlets like The New York Times. 'To run a story on this subject two months later, we need to do more,' she argued, stating her 'north star' was fresh, thorough reporting.
Despite being pulled in the US, the unedited segment accidentally aired on Global TV in Canada and quickly went viral online, intensifying scrutiny on Weiss's decision and her leadership of the storied news network.
