An internal CBS News battle over a “60 Minutes” story critical of the Trump administration has exploded publicly, with a correspondent charging it was kept off the air for political reasons.
News chief Bari Weiss said Monday that the story did not “advance the ball.”
Two hours before airtime Sunday, CBS announced that the story where correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi spoke to deportees who had been sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison, would not be a part of the show. Ms. Weiss, the Free Press founder named CBS News editor-in-chief in October, said it was her decision.
The dispute puts one of journalism’s most respected brands — and a frequent target of President Trump — back in the spotlight and amplifies questions about whether Ms. Weiss’ appointment was a signal that CBS News was headed in a more Trump-friendly direction.
Ms. Alfonsi, in an email sent to fellow “60 Minutes” correspondents, said the story was factually correct and had been cleared by CBS lawyers and its standards division. But the Trump administration had refused to comment for the story, and Ms. Weiss wanted a greater effort made to get their point of view.
“In my view, pulling it now after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one,” Ms. Alfonsi wrote in the email. She did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.
Ms. Alfonsi said in the email that interviews were sought with or questions directed to — sometimes both — the White House, State Department and Department of Homeland Security.
“Government silence is a statement, not a VETO,” Ms. Alfonsi wrote. “Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story. If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient.”
“Spike” is a journalist’s term for killing a story. But Ms. Weiss, in a statement, said that she looked forward to airing Ms. Alfonsi’s piece “when it’s ready.”
Speaking Monday at the daily CBS News internal editorial call, Ms. Weiss was clearly angered by Alfonsi’s memo. A transcript of Ms. Weiss’ message was provided by CBS News.
“The only newsroom I’m interested in running is one in which we are able to have contentious disagreements about the thorniest editorial matters with respect and, crucially, where we assume the best intent of our colleagues,” Ms. Weiss said. “Anything else is completely unacceptable.”
She said that while Ms. Alfonsi’s story presented powerful testimony about torture at the CECOT prison, The New York Times and other outlets had already done similar work. “To run a story on this subject two months later, we need to do more,” she said. “And this is ‘60 Minutes.’ We need to be able to get the principals on the record and on camera.”
It wasn’t clear whether Ms. Weiss’ involvement in seeking administration comment was sought. She reportedly helped the newscast arrange interviews with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff this past fall to discuss Mr. Trump’s Middle East peace efforts. Mr. Trump himself was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell on a “60 Minutes” telecast that aired on Nov. 2.
Mr. Trump has been sharply critical of “60 Minutes.” He refused to grant the show an interview prior to last fall’s election, then sued the network over how it handled an interview with election opponent Kamala Harris. CBS’ parent, Paramount Global, agreed to settle the lawsuit by paying Mr. Trump $16 million this past summer. More recently, Mr. Trump angrily reacted to correspondent Lesley Stahl’s interview with former Trump ally turned critic Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
“60 Minutes” was notably tough on Mr. Trump during the first months of his second term, particularly in stories done by correspondent Scott Pelley. In accepting an award from USC Annenberg earlier this month for his journalism, Mr. Pelley noted that the stories were aired last spring “with an absolute minimum of interference.”
Mr. Pelley said that people at “60 Minutes” were concerned about what new ownership installed at Paramount this summer would mean for the broadcast. “It’s early yet, but what I can tell you is we are doing the same kinds of stories with the same kind of rigor, and we have experienced no corporate interference of any kind,” Mr. Pelley said then, according to deadline.com.
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