CBS News aired its 60 Minutes broadcast about the Trump administration’s immigrant deportations, which was previously held by CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, on January 18. The segment, which sparked internal outrage over political pressure, appears untouched, with new material added.
The segment revolved around the Salvadoran prison, CECOT, to which the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants, including suspected gang members.
Weiss pulled back the story in December, arguing that the story failed to showcase the administration’s perspective and that it insufficiently followed up on reporting done by other news organizations. Despite the effort, the segment was still available in certain areas of Canada and later circulated on social media.
Sharyn Alfonsi, the correspondent on the broadcast, denounced the decision made in December, labeling it as a political move.
The segment, titled “Inside CECOT,” included interviews with several men who were deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration, in which they share their time within the facility, describing its cruel conditions.
The broadcast did not contain on-camera interviews with any officials from the Trump administration.
"Since November, 60 Minutes has made several attempts to interview key Trump administration officials on camera about our story," Alfonsi stated. "They declined our requests."
It did, however, include statements from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House, as well as additional facts about the interviewee’s criminal records, all of which were not included in the original segment.
The piece was originally scheduled to be released on Dec. 21. The day before airing, Weiss spoke with the executive producer of 60 Minutes, telling them that it would be held despite it being publicly promoted.
In response, Alfonsi, through an email sent to colleagues, which the Wall Street Journal obtained, clarified that the segment was approved by CBS attorneys and the newsroom’s team for standards and practices.
“If the standard for airing a story becomes ‘the government must agree to be interviewed,’ then the government effectively gains control over the 60 Minutes broadcast. We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state,” she expressed.
