CBS Faces Internal Uproar After Shelving Sharyn Alfonsi’s ‘60 Minutes’ Deportation Story
There’s been a lot of noise inside CBS News over the past few days, and it all centers around a decision that stunned many people in the newsroom. At the very last minute, CBS chose to shelve a fully produced “60 Minutes” segment reported by veteran correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi. The story focused on Venezuelan men who were deported under the Trump administration and later held inside CECOT, a notorious maximum-security prison in El Salvador. What followed has sparked serious questions about editorial independence, corporate pressure, and the future credibility of one of America’s most respected news programs.
According to multiple staffers, the segment had already cleared every major hurdle. It was said to have been fact-checked, legally vetted, and screened an unusually high five times. By Friday afternoon, CBS was even promoting the piece publicly. But by Saturday morning, everything changed. CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss reportedly raised concerns, mainly about the lack of an on-the-record response from the Trump administration. Soon after, the story was pulled from the broadcast lineup.
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Sharyn Alfonsi did not stay quiet. In an internal memo, she called the move “corporate censorship” and warned that the public would see it that way too. She argued that her team had repeatedly sought comment from the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department, but none responded. In her view, allowing silence from powerful officials to stop a story sets a dangerous precedent. It was described as giving politicians a “kill switch” over journalism they don’t like.
Inside CBS, emotions have been running high. Some staffers reportedly said they were considering quitting, fearing that “60 Minutes” is being slowly dismantled. Alfonsi also emphasized the moral stakes, pointing out that the deported men who spoke on camera took serious personal risks. Pulling the story now, she said, was a betrayal of the basic journalistic duty to give voice to people who otherwise wouldn’t be heard.
CBS leadership has defended the decision, saying the segment needed additional reporting and context. Weiss later stated that holding stories back is a normal part of newsroom life and that the piece would air when it was truly ready. Still, that explanation hasn’t eased concerns, especially given the broader political backdrop. President Trump has repeatedly attacked “60 Minutes,” previously sued CBS over an interview edit, and publicly commented on the network’s new ownership.
For many journalists watching from the outside, this moment feels bigger than a single delayed segment. It’s being seen as a test of whether legacy news organizations can hold their ground under political and corporate pressure. And right now, the fallout from Sharyn Alfonsi’s shelved story suggests that trust, both inside the newsroom and with the audience, has been seriously shaken.
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