60 Minutes Segment on Migrant Prison Pulled Amidst Political Concerns
New York, Monday, 22 December 2025.
Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi labeled the removal of the fully vetted report ‘political,’ warning it grants the administration a ‘kill switch’ to suppress inconvenient journalism.
Editorial Discord and the ‘Kill Switch’ Allegation
The decision to remove the segment, titled ‘Inside CECOT,’ was enacted yesterday, Sunday, December 21, 2025, mere hours before its scheduled broadcast at 7:30 p.m. ET [1][3]. While CBS News officially stated that the report ‘needed additional reporting’ and would air in a future broadcast, the explanation has done little to quell internal dissent [1][3]. Sharyn Alfonsi, the correspondent who led the investigation, vehemently disputed the editorial justification, asserting that the story had been screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and the Standards and Practices division [2][3]. In a communication to colleagues, Alfonsi argued that pulling a factually correct story due to the administration’s refusal to participate effectively hands the government a ‘kill switch’ for inconvenient reporting [1]. The directive to delay the broadcast reportedly came from Bari Weiss, who was appointed editor-in-chief in October 2025 following David Ellison’s acquisition of The Free Press [1][3]. Weiss contended that her role is to ensure stories are ‘the best they can be,’ noting that holding pieces for context is a routine newsroom occurrence [2].
Inside CECOT: The Content in Question
The delayed segment focused on a sensitive policy of the Trump administration involving the deportation of Venezuelan migrants to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, El Salvador [2]. The investigation highlighted allegations of ‘brutal and tortuous conditions’ faced by deportees whom the administration claimed were terrorists [1][3]. Data obtained during the reporting indicates that in March and April 2025, the U.S. government sent over 280 young men to this facility [3]. Notably, four months later, 252 of these individuals were released and sent to Venezuela [3]. This suggests that approximately 90 percent of the detainees were eventually discharged, a statistic that likely underpinned the report’s scrutiny of the administration’s classification of these migrants. The broadcast slot intended for this investigation was subsequently filled by a segment on the Kanneh-Mason family and an extended feature on ‘The Sherpas of Everest’ [3].
Corporate Strategy Meets Political Reality
This editorial clash occurs against a backdrop of significant corporate maneuvering at Paramount Global. David Ellison, whose acquisition of The Free Press for reported $150 million preceded Weiss’s appointment, is currently navigating a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery—a transaction that requires regulatory approval from the Trump administration [1][3]. The relationship between the network and the administration has been historically fraught; in July 2025, Paramount Global settled a lawsuit with Donald Trump for $16 million regarding edits to a ‘60 Minutes’ interview with Kamala Harris [4]. Tensions flared again recently when President Trump posted on Truth Social on December 16, 2025, criticizing the program and the new ownership, stating that ‘60 Minutes’ had treated him ‘far worse’ since the takeover [3]. Analysts note that these commercial entanglements complicate the perception of editorial independence, with CNN’s Brian Stelter reporting that some staffers are threatening to resign over the incident [3].