In a decision that has reverberated through CBS News and beyond, Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss opted to withhold the airing of a "60 Minutes" investigative piece titled "Inside CECOT." The story, centered on harrowing accounts from Venezuelan men detained in El Salvador's CECOT prison, was deemed "not ready" for U.S. broadcast by Weiss, triggering internal discord within the network.
Despite the restriction within the U.S., the episode surfaced on the Canadian streaming platform of Global TV, the exclusive broadcaster of "60 Minutes" in Canada, allowing unintended international exposure. This development was noticed by Canadian viewers on Monday, who observed that the episode featuring correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi's report had been made available online ahead of the scheduled U.S. airing.
Shortly after its appearance, clips and summaries of the report began circulating rapidly on social media outlets including Reddit and Bluesky. Anticipating swift corporate action, viewers urged others to view the segment promptly, noting that CBS's parent company, Paramount, had started issuing copyright claims. These efforts resulted in some videos being taken down, particularly on YouTube.
A CBS News spokesperson characterized the Canadian stream as a "mistake," acknowledging the premature posting of the report. Sources within CBS disclosed that the story's production spanned several weeks, culminating in a finalized version presented to Weiss on the evening of the preceding Thursday. Billings and promotional materials were distributed on Friday, initially signaling the story's readiness for release.
However, Weiss subsequently expressed reservations on Saturday morning concerning the segment's content. Her concerns notably included the absence of participation from key Trump administration officials, whose perspectives on the deportation policies under scrutiny were lacking. This hesitation prompted the issuance of a "change order" to Global TV, instructing the network to replace the original Friday version with a revised edition.
Global TV complied by airing the updated episode on Sunday night; nonetheless, the original version inexplicably remained accessible on the broadcaster's application, facilitating further circulation. Although the episode has since been removed from Global TV's app, CBS representatives confirmed that the now unaired footage continues to appear on various social and digital platforms, prompting Paramount's content protection unit to issue takedown requests in an effort to curb unauthorized distribution.
Internally, CBS employees who opposed Weiss's choice regarded the inadvertent Canadian release as highly advantageous, enabling the public to access a report characterized by multiple sources as "exceptional" and meriting its planned exposure. Conversely, associates of Weiss contended that the piece lacked balance, mainly due to its failure to incorporate interviews with officials responsible for executing Trump's mass deportation initiatives.
Weiss emphasized to staff that securing on-record, on-camera statements from primary subjects was essential before airing the story. Correspondent Alfonsi countered this in an earlier communication, asserting that attempts to obtain interviews were systematically rejected as a strategic move aimed at undermining the piece.
The segment, as streamed on Global TV's platform, features Alfonsi outlining that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined to participate, redirecting inquiries to the Salvadoran government, which did not respond. While the program contained previously recorded soundbites from former President Trump and then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, its chief focus was the testimonies of deported Venezuelan detainees describing extensive mistreatment.
Alfonsi introduced her report by stating, "Tonight, you'll hear from some of those men," detailing their experiences of torture, sexual abuse, and persistent physical suffering within one of El Salvador's most severe penal facilities. One former inmate, Luis Munoz Pinto, poignantly depicted the environment as hellish, recounting scenes marked by blood, cries, and inmates succumbing to extreme distress.
The investigation referenced work by Human Rights Watch, which had earlier published an 81-page dossier exposing human rights violations within CECOT. Alfonsi included insights from a Human Rights Watch representative who corroborated the accounts of abuse.
Following the revelation that Weiss had suppressed the broadcast, Alfonsi contended the decision stemmed from political, rather than editorial, considerations. Human Rights Watch Executive Director Philippe Bolopion expressed concern over such claims, underscoring the broader dangers posed to press freedom in the United States and voicing hope that the segment would eventually be televised as originally intended.
Bolopion reiterated the gravity of the documented abuses, affirming the evidence of the Trump administration's role in the disappearance and reported torture of Venezuelan detainees transported to the El Salvador facility.
The saga has highlighted tensions within CBS concerning editorial independence, content readiness, and political sensitivities tied to the airing of investigative journalism concerning government deportation policies and alleged prisoner abuse.