The prestigious US news programme 60 Minutes has ignited a firestorm after it abruptly pulled a hard-hitting investigation into the Trump administration's deportation of migrants just hours before it was scheduled to air. The last-minute decision has led to widespread accusations of censorship, with critics pointing the finger at the network's new Editor-in-Chief, Bari Weiss.
A Sudden Schedule Change and Mounting Outrage
In a terse social media announcement on Sunday evening, the CBS news magazine revealed a sudden change to its broadcast lineup. The advertised segment, titled "Inside CECOT," which detailed the fate of a group of Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison, would not be shown as planned. The programme stated it would air "in a future broadcast."
The report had been promoted as investigating how the Trump administration deported hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador, a country with which most had no connection, under the claim they were terrorists. It highlighted an ongoing legal battle and noted that, nine months on, the US government had still not released the names of all those sent to one of El Salvador's most brutal prisons.
Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi was set to feature interviews with deportees who described "brutal and torturous" conditions at CECOT. Instead, the show aired a previously unannounced segment from Nottingham, England, featuring a family of classical musicians.
Accusations Fly Against New Leadership
The unexplained postponement triggered immediate and fierce backlash online, with many commentators alleging political interference. A source at CBS News told Deadline the segment was pulled because it "needed additional reporting," but this did little to quell suspicions.
Several high-profile figures directly accused Bari Weiss of capitulating to the interests of the Trump administration. "Bari's CBS pulled their CECOT report, which included interviews with migrants who were tortured in this concentration camp," posted liberal reporter Krystal Ball on Bluesky. "The Trump regime does not want you to know what was done to these people."
Others lamented what they saw as the demise of a trusted institution. "I grew up watching 60 Minutes every Sunday with my dad," one Bluesky user wrote. "You have really failed us. What a sad end to such a storied and long-running institution." Another declared that Weiss had "torched" the legacy built over 55 years.
Trump Links and a Troubled Tenure
The controversy arrives amid a complex political backdrop. Just days before the segment was pulled, former President Donald Trump told a rally in North Carolina that he "loves" the new owners of CBS, the Ellison family, who control Paramount. Despite this, he complained that "60 Minutes has treated me worse under the new ownership."
Trump has, however, publicly praised Bari Weiss, telling CBS correspondent Norah O'Donnell last month, "I think you have a great new leader." Weiss was appointed to her role by Paramount boss David Ellison in October. Ellison, the son of billionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison, personally selected her despite her lack of experience running a major news network.
Her tenure has already been rocky. Several industry sources told the Daily Mail she has become the "laughing stock" of the industry, citing a botched search for a new evening news anchor that failed to land any external stars and ended with an internal promotion. Her hiring of a little-known ABC reporter as chief correspondent was described by one source as "scraping the depths of her rolodex."
Weiss's appointment followed Paramount's $16 million settlement of a lawsuit brought by Trump, who accused 60 Minutes of deceptively editing a 2020 interview. That settlement paved the way for Paramount's $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, owned by David Ellison.
As the fallout continues, the postponed CECOT segment now hangs over CBS News, symbolising a profound test of its editorial independence under its controversial new leadership.
