CBS News pulled a 60 Minutes report on El Salvador's CECOT prison just hours before its scheduled Sunday broadcast, saying it would air at a future time.

New York City

CBS has come under scrutiny after pulling a 60 Minutes report on El Salvador's CECOT prison only hours before it was scheduled to air. The segment focused on the transfer of hundreds of mostly Venezuelan migrants from the US to the prison without trial, and included testimonies from detainees describing harsh conditions.

The decision to pull the report, which had already passed legal and editorial review, was made by CBS's editor-in-chief Barry Weiss, who cited editorial standards. However, internal dissent and external criticism have raised concerns about possible political motivations, especially given CBS's recent ownership changes and ongoing business interests involving the Trump administration.

CBS pulls report on El Salvador's CECOT prison hours before airtime

US network CBS is facing criticism for alleged political interference after a report on its flagship program, 60 Minutes, was pulled just hours before it was due to air last night. The segment was on a mega prison in El Salvador, where the US has sent hundreds of mostly Venezuelan migrants without trial. Journalist Steve Futterman is tracking this story for us and joins us from Los Angeles. So, Steve, what more can you tell us about this controversy? Well, Arthie, there's many layers to this story. The big question today is, did the story, was it pulled to placate Donald Trump? Now, CBS was promoting this segment throughout last week, and last week, they even put out a promotional preview. Look at what this story was going to be about. Take a listen. It began as soon as the planes landed. The deportees thought they were headed from the US back to Venezuela, but instead, they were shackled, paraded in front of cameras, and delivered to CICOT, the notorious maximum security prison in El Salvador, where they told 60 Minutes they endured four months of hell. Did you think you were going to die there? We thought we were already the living dead, honestly. Now, this story had already been approved by CBS lawyers, the standards and practices department, but just a few hours before, CBS's editor in chief, Barry Weiss, pulled the story. She had a statement last night. She said, my job is to make sure, you can see it here, that all stories we publish are the best they can be. Holding stories happens every day, she says, in every newsroom. Now, the reporter on last night's story, Sharon Alfonsi, she sent an email to CBS colleagues where she was quite upset that the story was pulled. This is what she had to say. She says, in my view, pulling it now is not an editorial decision, it's a political one. So this is where CBS stands today. Lots of controversy about this. Apparently, Barry Weiss wanted, one of her complaints was, there wasn't anyone from the Trump administration to give its side of the story. But Alfonsi says, CBS and 60 Minutes reached out to the Trump administration, and the Trump administration declined to comment. And of course, this points to sort of a broader concern that is existing about potentially the direction of CBS News, rather, and its independence. Absolutely. CBS and Paramount, its parent company, were purchased last year, taken over by a company called Skydance. That's run by David Ellison. He's the son of Larry Ellison, the Silicon Valley billionaire. Now, Larry Ellison, David Ellison, they have been quite sympathetic to Donald Trump. Larry Ellison, a big supporter of Donald Trump. And it's been viewed that perhaps they are trying to move CBS News in a different direction. They brought in Barry Weiss. She was the head of a website called The Free Press, a conservative-leaning organization. And she has been quite critical of the mainstream media. So there have been questions raised about, is there an attempt to move CBS more conservative, more towards a Fox News-type format? Now, earlier this, actually, just last week, Scott Pelley, the senior correspondent for 60 Minutes, was asked about some pressure by the new owners. This is what he had to say last Friday. Our company is now the new Paramount, and we were all very concerned at 60 Minutes about what that meant. It's early yet, but what I can tell you is we are doing the same kinds of stories with the same kind of rigor, and we have experienced no corporate interference of any kind. So that has been a tremendous way to start this season. So the season started off well, but it's now hit this bump in the road. And to complicate things, Arthie, there's another purchase being attempted by Skydance. It already took over Paramount. It's in a battle right now with Netflix to take over Warner Brothers. And guess who will make the final decision likely on that? The Trump administration. So is this trying to placate the Trump administration to help its latest attempt to purchase another studio of Warner Brothers? Lots of questions being asked and lots of unhappiness inside the CBS newsroom today. Steve, thank you for this. That is journalist Steve Futterman in Los Angeles.

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