CBS News Drops ’60 Minutes’ Segment Over Claim of Unfinished Reporting

By Sam Barron    |   Tuesday, 23 December 2025 10:27 PM EST

Bari Weiss, CBS News’ newly appointed editor-in-chief, has canceled a “60 Minutes” segment titled “Inside CECOT” after stating the report lacked sufficient context and critical voices.

The segment detailed Venezuelan men detained in El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison following deportation by the Trump administration. Weiss claimed the story was pulled from air because it was “not finished,” citing insufficient on-the-record statements from the White House, State Department, and Department of Homeland Security.

A CBS News correspondent, Sharyn Alfonsi, wrote in an internal email that the segment had undergone rigorous internal review and was factually correct. She argued that the government’s refusal to engage with reporters constitutes a “tactical maneuver designed to kill the story,” not a veto.

Weiss reportedly did not review the segment until two days before its scheduled airdate, prompting criticism from correspondent Scott Pelley, who noted she missed earlier screenings. Alfonsi added that pulling the report after multiple clearances is “not an editorial decision, it is a political one.”

The new editorial structure Weiss plans aims to elevate senior editors’ visibility ahead of sensitive segments across CBS News platforms.

Weiss joined CBS in 2025 after Paramount Skydance acquired her publication, The Free Press. Prior to this role, she resigned from the New York Times as a columnist, accusing the outlet of groupthink and partisanship.