CBS News let “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi's contract expire, ending more than a decade at the program, The New Republic reported on May 27, 2026. Alfonsi told The New York Times her dismissal was a “deliberate choice to penalize a journalist for refusing to sanitize accurate reporting.” A day later, Variety reported that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss was ousting the program's two most senior executive producers, Tanya Simon and Draggan Mihailovich, along with correspondents Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.
The dispute began in December 2025. Alfonsi's segment “Inside CECOT” detailed the Trump administration's treatment of Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison. According to the Los Angeles Times, it was scheduled to run Dec. 21 but was pulled the day before air by Weiss, who believed it needed additional reporting, including a more robust response from the White House. Alfonsi said she had sought comment from the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the White House and was rebuffed each time.
In an email to colleagues that leaked to the press, Alfonsi wrote: “Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct.” She added: “If the standard for airing a story becomes 'the government must agree to be interviewed,' then the government effectively gains control over the 60 Minutes broadcast.”
The segment aired on Jan. 18, 2026. The Los Angeles Times reported that the broadcast version had three and a half minutes of additional information but no new interviews. TheWrap reported that Weiss later admitted she should not have pulled the segment just before it aired, though she maintained it needed more work.
Weiss was appointed in October 2025 by Paramount chief executive David Ellison. The Los Angeles Times reported that many CBS News insiders saw the appointment as a move to placate the Trump administration while the company pursued the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, and that pulling a segment critical of the administration after it had been promoted intensified that perception. Paramount had earlier paid a $16 million settlement to Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris (see CBS Blocks Colbert from Interviewing Democratic Candidate on Air After Trump's FCC Threatens 'Equal Time' Crackdown on Late-Night Shows, Trump Posts an AI-Generated Video of Himself Throwing Stephen Colbert Into a Dumpster the Day After 'The Late Show' Ends).
Correction (October 2, 2026): an earlier version of this entry said Weiss “killed” the CECOT segment and that “the story was not aired.” In fact the segment was delayed and aired on Jan. 18, 2026, as the Los Angeles Times, Variety and TheWrap reported. The title and summary now say it was delayed. We also removed two claims no source in the entry supports: that Weiss was installed in the same period CBS canceled “The Late Show” under FCC pressure, and that the Supreme Court was hearing related cases while the segment was prepared.