The drama surrounding a recently pulled story at CBS News has ignited a newsroom firestorm, with editor-in-chief Bari Weiss standing firm as critics accuse her of political interference. In a memo to staff, Weiss defended her decision to hold a controversial 60 Minutes segment on deportations to El Salvador’s CECOT prison, arguing that restoring public trust requires higher standards, not faster airtime.
Weiss told employees that Americans who distrust the press are not “crazy,” adding, “To win back their trust, that means we have to work hard.” She wrote that editorial judgment sometimes requires restraint: “Sometimes it means holding a piece about an important subject to make sure it is comprehensive and fair.” In what appeared to be a direct response to internal backlash, she added, “In our upside-down moment, this may seem radical.”
The CECOT story delay prompted correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi to circulate an angry memo accusing Weiss of bowing to political pressure. That message leaked, fueling outside criticism largely from left-leaning media voices already skeptical of Weiss’s leadership. Some claimed, without evidence, that CBS acted to appease the Trump administration.
Weiss rejected those claims outright. “We are not out to score points with one side of the political spectrum or to win followers on social media,” she wrote. “We are out to inform the American public and to get the story right.” She also stressed that “no amount of outrage” would derail that mission.
CBS confirmed the segment was held for additional reporting after Weiss called for more on-the-record responses from Trump administration officials and flagged a “strange” portion involving Berkeley students analyzing the prison. Journalist Michael Shellenberger backed the move, saying Weiss was “100%” correct to pause the story.
As the CECOT story delay continues to ripple through CBS, Weiss’s message signals a broader attempt to reassert editorial discipline at a network long criticized for liberal bias.
