Bari Weiss defends 60 Minutes controversy: ‘radical’ but ‘necessary’
What did CBS News management get for Christmas? A memo doubling down on a controversial decision that has roiled the Paramount Skydance news unit and sparked a barrage of criticism.
In a letter to staff sent hours before the start of Christmas Eve, editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, president Tom Cibrowski and new senior editors Charles Forelle and Adam Rubenstein urged action to delay a “60 Minutes” report by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi “to ensure it is comprehensive and fair.” The signatures on the memo mark what is believed to be the first tacit appearance of a new CBS News editorial director, who Weiss expects will become more entrenched in the newsgathering process at the company, according to people familiar with the matter.
“Right now, the majority of Americans say they don’t trust the press. It’s not because they’re crazy,” the memo said. “To earn back their trust, we have to work hard. Sometimes that means more prep work. Sometimes it means telling unexpected stories. Sometimes it means focusing on topics that have been overlooked or misinterpreted. And sometimes it means doing a piece on an important topic to make sure it’s comprehensive and fair.”
CBS News revealed this weekend that a “60 Minutes” segment reported by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi and focusing on the on-screen accounts of Venezuelan men deported by the U.S. to prison in El Salvador was shelved just hours before Sunday’s broadcast. As evidenced by an email Alfonsi sent to colleagues, the decision was made by Weiss, who insisted that Trump officials appear on the report to comment on camera, even though Alfonsi’s team had made good faith efforts to obtain a response before submitting the report for legal review. “The public will rightly identify this as corporate censorship,” Alfonsi said in her memo.
Weiss has maintained since her arrival in October, without providing evidence, that the mainstream media has lost the trust of Americans. A Gallup poll found that only 28% of Americans have “a lot” or “a fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report news accurately and fairly. This figure has fallen from 31% in 2025 and 40% five years ago.
And yet a September Pew Research Center survey found that CBS News had the support of 51% of American adults who had at least some trust the information they receive from national news organizations. CBS was tied with CNN and PBS, and just a few percentage points behind ABC News and NBC News.
The recent decision “may seem radical,” the new memo said. “Such editorial decisions can create a firestorm, especially in a slow news week. And the standards of fairness we adhere to, especially when it comes to controversial topics, are sure to feel controversial to those accustomed to doing things one way. But to fulfill our mission, it is necessary.”
The furore over “60 Minutes” is gripping CBS News and its parent company at a most inopportune time. The news unit is just days away from attempting to launch Tony Dokoupil as the new anchor of “CBS Evening News,” and it appears it will do so without the weeks of pre-launch promotion that such a move would normally warrant. Instead, Dokoupil will embark on a whirlwind tour of the US, visiting many cities and towns during his first days in the air. In addition, Paramount is engaged in a heated battle with Netflix for Warner Bros. Discovery, and a continuing series of blunders under Weiss’ management casts a cloud over Paramount CEO David Ellison’s ability to manage the company.
Many staffers are baffled by Weiss’ decision, noting that it came at the end of a long investigative process and after CBS News had already promoted the “60 Minutes” segment to the public. Many people were even able to view the report for themselves, as a Canadian media outlet that airs “60 Minutes” accidentally made Alfonsi’s report available through its digital app. Should a new version of the story appear in the newsmagazine, viewers will be able to see how it has changed under Weiss’s watch. Alfonsi had already gone out of his way to solicit comment from Trump officials, according to people familiar with the report, and included a video clip from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt showing the administration’s views on the subject.
Weiss, a digital provocateur whose opinion site, The Free Press, was acquired by Paramount Skydance earlier this year, has suffered a series of unforced errors since her arrival at CBS News. The blunders have drawn widespread attention to a news operation that supports top series like “60 Minutes” and “Sunday Morning” but operates weekday evening and morning news programs that have long lagged behind rivals at NBC and ABC.
Since her arrival, Weiss has faced pushback from the union representing CBS News employees after she asked them to outline their duties; conservative newsmakers and Trump administration officials nabbed for various segments for broadcast and online programming; tried to hire big names by enticing them to leave their current contracts with competing operations; and launched a new series of town halls and debates by moderating a session with conservative activist Erika Kirk, which received no support from mainstream advertisers. Bank of America has signed on as a sponsor for future editions of the series, now called “Things That Matter.”
