• Facebook
• Twitter
• Threads
• Flipboard
• Comments
• Print
• Email
• Add Fox News on Google

CBS editor-in-chief said ‘60 Minutes’ story was ‘not ready’ as staffers allege political motive

‘Fox News @ Night’ panelists discuss the controversy surrounding ‘60 Minutes’ shelving a piece on Trump deportations to an El Salvador prison shortly before it was set to air.

Former CBS News journalists are reportedly planning to urge Paramount CEO David Ellison to ensure CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss respects "editorial independence," but an ex-staffer feels the polarizing news chief is simply doing what she was hired to do. 

Weiss, who was handpicked by Ellison and has irked some insiders by noting a lack of faith from the public in CBS and other mainstream media institutions, made headlines last week by delaying a "60 Minutes" segment on Trump deportations to an El Salvador prison, CECOT. 

Hours before "Inside CECOT" was set to air, "60 Minutes" released a statement saying the segment was being delayed because it needed "additional reporting." The decision to delay the segment irritated many, including "60 Minutes" correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who accused Weiss of holding it for political reasons.

BARI WEISS SUGGESTS CECOT '60 MINUTES' PIECE SHE DELAYED WASN'T 'FAIR' IN MEMO TO STAFFERS

New Paramount CEO David Ellison handpicked Bari Weiss to serve as editor-in-chief of CBS News. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images; James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Free Press)

The New York Post reported on Monday that former CBS News journalists are preparing a petition to Ellison, urging him to make sure CBS News respects "editorial independence." The petition, which will reportedly be sent to Ellison on Jan. 3, states that Weiss’ decision to hold the story "signals a breakdown in editorial oversight, and risks setting a dangerous precedent in a country that has traditionally valued press freedom," according to the Post. 

A former CBS News journalist, who has not been asked to sign the letter, doesn’t believe it will move the needle. 

"I doubt it’ll have much impact on Ellison because I think he hired her to do exactly what she’s doing – even if not in the ham-fisted and self-destructive way she’s doing it," the former CBS News staffer told Fox News Digital. 

'60 MINUTES' REPORTER LASHES OUT AT BARI WEISS AFTER SEGMENT ON EL SALVADOR PRISON YANKED AT LAST MINUTE

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Uber, X and The Free Press)

"I think they’d be better off asking her for a face-to-face meeting," they continued. "That’d be a ‘town hall’ that might have an impact." 

CBS News and Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

In August, Ellison officially became the owner and CEO of Paramount, now formally referred to as "Paramount, a Skydance company." He handpicked Weiss to oversee CBS News, acquiring her outlet The Free Press for $150 million in the process. 

Weiss decided to delay the "60 Minutes" segment after determining that, while the interviews were "powerful," the story ultimately did not "advance the ball" and "was not ready." Among her notes were urging more effort to get a Trump official on-camera to defend administration policies on immigration, as well as criticizing a "strange" portion of the segment showing Berkeley students analyzing the prison.

STEPHEN MILLER CALLS FOR FIRING OF CBS PRODUCERS OVER SHELVED TRUMP DEPORTATION STORY SEGMENT

• ·对决剑之川外攻队玩法搭配分享
• ·冰箱的清洁卫生小窍门
• ·比肩梅西！爆红边锋过人称霸欧洲 武磊怎么和他
• ·贴息“红包”撬动消费潜能
• ·今年起单位代扣代缴增值税，个人偷税将变难
• ·我打造了仙秦多元宇宙帝国
• ·古今2风起蓬莱阵容强度排行榜一览
• ·水晶宫战平造5倍冷门 足彩头奖开4注239万元
• ·雷军回应被指营销大师：很恶心听到这两个字！
• ·广东发布前11月经济数据，规上工业增加值同比增长3.2%
• ·普什模具公司开展劳模事迹宣讲及青工交流座谈会
• ·马斯克认为AI将创造“全民高收入” 不必再存钱
• ·ช่วงเย็นคุณภาพอากาศในประเทศพบเกินค่ามาตรฐาน 3 จังหวัด
• ·太原华美四方交通电子有限公司
• ·水晶宫战平造5倍冷门 足彩头奖开4注239万元
• ·悼友文感动全网，广州“网红教授”回应