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CBS News staffers and insiders are warning Controversial editor-in-chief Bari Weiss may soon face a “revolt” of employees 60 minutes On his last-minute decision to pull a story about the Trump administration’s mass deportations, he said the move smacked of political and corporate interference.
“Burning trash is holy crap,” said one employee. IndependentWhile another reporter said that Weiss possibly “crossed the Rubicon” when he intervened and pushed the story forward.
Weiss, who was the “anti-woke” founder of The Free Press installed Paramount president David Ellison had drawn the ire of CBS News reporters and staff with a number of editorial decisions since his arrival as newsroom leader in October.
However, discussion of a story that is critical of the White House – particularly as Ellison Donald Trump’s support continues Between Paramount hostile takeover bid Discovery for Warner Bros. – Tiffany Network may just be a bridge for some people.
“The ’60 Minutes’ people would probably revolt over this,” said one network insider. Independent“Especially during football season,”
Independent CBS News has reached out and 60 minutes for comment
The investigative news program promoted an upcoming article titled “Inside CECOT” about the notorious El Salvador prison, where President Donald Trump’s administration is deporting undocumented immigrants, in which journalist Sharyn Alfonsi interviewed inmates about the mistreatment she says she faced within its walls.
But in a post on social media Sunday afternoon, the network informed viewers: “The broadcast lineup for tonight’s edition 60 minutes Update has been done. Our report ‘Inside CECOT’ will be broadcast in the future.
This piece was replaced by a spontaneous report on an English family of classical musicians and an extended story about the Sherpas of Mount Everest.
While other sources said the segment being pulled is “definitely messed up” and essentially unprecedented, CBS News staffers objected to the appearance of Weiss taking orders from the White House or Ellison.
“It will be interesting to see how far Bari is willing to go to double down on the ‘not ready’ argument and attack Ya/Sharyn [60 Minutes],” he said. “”This will be our clearest indication ever that she does not represent CBS News, but represents David Ellison and whoever is politically convenient for him at any given time.”
The staffer reported that Ellison “clearly wants Trump’s support for the purchase of WBD from Netflix,” adding that “killing 60 Minutes might be an acceptable price for him.”
This decision inspired Alfonsi to do email several of his coworkersIncluding anchors Leslie Stahl, Scott Pelley and Anderson Cooper, he wrote: “I learned on Saturday that Bari Weiss upended our story, Inside CECOT, which was scheduled to air tonight. We [producer Oriana Zill de Granados and herself] Asked to call to discuss your decision. “He didn’t give us that courtesy/opportunity.”
He added, “Our story was checked five times and cleared by both CBS lawyers and Standards and Practices.” “That’s factually correct. In my view, pulling it now — after every rigorous internal investigation — is not an editorial decision, it’s a political decision.”
according to new York TimesWeiss requested “several changes to the segment”, suggesting it include a new interview with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and questioning its description of deported people as “immigrants” because they first came to the US illegally.
“We requested responses to questions and/or interviews from DHS, the White House, and the State Department,” Alfonsi said in his email. 60 minutes Employee. “Government silence is a statement, not a veto. Refusing to be interviewed is a tactical move designed to debunk the story.”
He added, “If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a legitimate reason for bumping a story, then we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient.”
“If the standard for airing a story becomes ‘the government must agree to the interview,’ then the government effectively gains control over the 60 Minutes broadcast,” Alfonsi said. “We move from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state.”
Weiss said in his comment new York Times Regarding the nixed segment on Sunday Night, he said that his “job is to make sure the stories we publish are the best they can be.” He further stated that “catching stories that are not ready for whatever reason – that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they lack critical voices – it happens every day in every newsroom,” and that he is “looking forward to this important piece being aired when it’s ready.”
Meanwhile, a CBS News spokesperson said Sunday evening that “60 minutes The report on ‘Inside CECOT’ will air in the future” and the network “determined it needed additional reporting.”
As Alfonsi wrote in his blistering email, before Weiss suddenly pulled the segment, the network had been “promoting this story on social media for several days” and “our viewers have been expecting it.” He further warned that if the story “fails to air without a credible explanation, the public will correctly identify it as corporate censorship.”
The employee I spoke to Independent It also wondered whether “the US would not mind killing off the most watched news program that has dominated the country’s airwaves for the past 50 years”. The employee concluded, “I don’t think so.”
during Monday’s broadcast cbs morningCo-host Nate Burleson gave a brief report about the decision to dismiss the “Inside CECOT” story at the last minute, including portions of Alfonsi’s email as well as Weiss’ statements to the press and official comment from a CBS News spokesperson.
Additionally, the Monday morning editorial call was expected to be tense, with staffers possibly seeking to pressure Weiss and CBS News president Tom Sibrowski for more answers about the decision.
The reporter said, “Monday’s editorial meeting will be dull.”
During the editorial call, meanwhile, a tired-looking Weiss appeared slightly annoyed by the backlash for pulling the CECOT story, casting doubt on her judgment.
“The only newsroom I’m interested in running is one where we are able to have controversial disagreements about the most complex and editorial matters, and do so with respect, and importantly, where we assume the best intentions of our colleagues and anything else is absolutely unacceptable to me and should be unacceptable to you too,” she said angrily.
“Of course, you’ve all seen, I’ve been holding a 60 minutes The story, and I withheld that story because it wasn’t ready. Although the story presented powerful testimony of torture at CECOT, it did not move the ball forward – the Times And other outlets have done similar work before,” Weiss continued. “The public knows that Venezuelans have been treated horribly in this prison. So to run a story on this topic two months later, we just need to do more, and that’s it 60 minutes,
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He concluded: “We need to be able to make every possible effort to get the principals on record and on camera. For me, our audience comes first, not listing schedules or anything else. And that’s my North Star, and I hope it’s every person’s North Star in this newsroom.”
The staffer, for his part, rejected Weiss’s claim to demand respectful interaction when it came to editorial decisions, and said his “angry tone” was not going over well in the newsroom.
The employee added, “What kind of conversation? According to Sharyn’s email, Bari did not even speak to her on the phone and explain why he nailed the piece.”
The company’s former leadership paid Trump $16 million to settle a “meritless” lawsuit after it bought Paramount in a politically difficult merger. 60 minutes In the interview with Kamala Harris, Ellison has pushed the news network in the right direction while getting support from the White House.
This included installing Weiss at the helm of the news division as well as his purchase of center-right “heterodox” media outlet The Free Press for $150 million.
Since his arrival, the network has gone through brutal layoffs – which were already underway before he came on board It largely impacted women and people of colorOverhauled the Saturday morning news show, canceled several digital programs, and promoted cbs morning host Tony Dokoupil – who came in after Weiss – to host the evening news. Unable to field a high-profile external candidate To lead the show.
Weiss, who has been heavily involved in booking guests and recruiting talent since his arrival, Recently inquired about the well being of the employees to establish herself as the on-air moderator of a town hall special with Erica Kirk, widow of slain right-wing activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Saturday night’s incident, which was seen as massive ratings flopWas launch point For Weiss’s new series things that matterWhich will include Vice President JD Vance and other prominent politicians and business leaders. The series will also feature debates between ideologically opposed subjects on polarizing political and social topics.
Weiss also reports directly to Ellison, not to CBS News president and executive editor Tom Sibrowski, and not to Paramount’s TV head George Cheeks.
All the while, Ellison and his father — ultra-wealthy Oracle founder and close Trump ally Larry Ellison — have been relying on White House support as they attempt to sidestep Netflix’s accepted offer for Warner Bros. Discovery. However, at the same time, the President has used recent broadcasts 60 minutes Being angry about Alison’s leadership Of the company.
“For those who think I am close to the new owners of CBS, please understand this 60 minutes Since the so-called ‘takeover’ they have treated me worse than they have ever treated me,” Trump. Recently there was an uproar on Truth Socialhe is also said She doesn’t feel that Alison is her “friend” anymore.
on Monday morning, it was reported Larry Ellison upped the bid for WBD by agreeing to personally back a $40 billion equity financing in Paramount’s hostile bid for the studio giant.