Bari Weiss has sparked controversy within CBS News by shelving a segment of the renowned program “60 Minutes” that focused on Venezuelan prisoners held in El Salvador’s Cecot prison. The segment was originally scheduled to air almost a month before it finally hit the airwaves Sunday night. Sharyn Alfonsi reported the controversial piece, which included harrowing accounts from prisoners, yet faced significant internal and external challenges leading up to its release.
In a short, leaked email to colleagues, Alfonsi called Weiss’ decision to shelve the segment “political.” This comment has drawn attention to the ongoing tensions within newsrooms regarding editorial decisions, especially concerning sensitive topics involving international human rights.
That segment examined the personal stories of 252 Venezuelan men dispatched to Cecot. The Trump administration stonewalled the effort, blocking officials from being interviewed. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) refused to release any records on these individuals. This refusal made the investigation and subsequent reporting impossible.
Though the original version of the segment never aired on CBS, it was accidentally picked up and aired by a Canadian television network. Though an unplanned, timely, and urgent airing, the subject matter, including one-on-one interviews with Luis Muñoz Pinto, proved highly relevant for the moment. AMAZONAS INMENSO Pinto emphasized the horrific conditions that inmates have to suffer through in Cecot. He called attention to the immediate human rights disaster that is our prison system.
Joined by Juan Pappier, the Americas deputy director at Human Rights Watch, to discuss rising authoritarianism. He gave strong expert commentary on the implications detrimentally beyond these detentions. Alfonsi’s opening remarks were later modified to reflect the current political landscape, particularly referencing the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on January 3.
The last broadcast of the segment in 2014 saw a drastic shift. Alfonsi’s closing comments were longer than the original version, so we’ve added supplementary info that appeared in the original post. Even with this update, the segment still left out a critical on-camera declaration from a Trump administration official. This absence is particularly notable given the timing of the report’s release.
“Since November, 60 Minutes has made several attempts to interview key Trump administration officials, on camera, about our story,” – Sharyn Alfonsi
Alfonsi’s difficulty in getting comments from administration officials highlights the continuing strain on journalists investigating hot-button issues. A network staffer noted that “60 will not have the audience it normally does,” reflecting concerns about viewer engagement following the delayed airing and controversy surrounding its production.
We have many reasons to believe that CBS News leaders intend to air the 60 Minutes segment. Their plan is to air it as soon as it’s produced. In their defense, they emphasized that “CBS News leadership has always been committed to airing the 60 Minutes Cecot piece as soon as it was ready.”
Even with these challenges, the segment went to air with some edits. Despite these challenges, the final version paints a stark portrait of the lives of Venezuelan prisoners and the global ramifications of their detention. The lack of any official discussion from the Trump administration still has people talking.
“DHS deflected all questions about abuse allegations at Cecot,” – Sharyn Alfonsi