• 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

• ·2022年杭州亚运会马术场馆方案设计出炉：“波浪”型
• ·中金公司、东兴证券、信达证券宣布重大资产重组
• ·法师：沉默传奇SF游戏里隐藏的潜力股
• ·《奔三》(王亚东演唱)的文本歌词及LRC歌词
• ·闪将三国神武武器推荐攻略
• ·养老“三件套”：遗嘱、生前预嘱和意定监护如何操作
• ·大乐透1现象今年第5次开出 连3期现身迫在眉睫？
• ·日本32岁女子和AI伴侣结婚 还是AI建议和前任离的婚
• ·读《在世界尽头遇见自己》有感
• ·名将杀武侯讲武通关攻略
• ·山西省太原市换热器换热机组换热设备供水设备公司
• ·山西金杏花酒业有限公司
• ·邵家渡大桥距离通车更近一步
• ·罗伯特•德尼罗（ Robert De Niro ）与萨尔博伊（ Salboy ）一起访问曼彻斯特，诺布曼彻斯特破土动工
• ·日媒分析游戏时代新愿景 游戏陪玩甚至家庭教师在兴起
• ·罗伯特•德尼罗（ Robert De Niro ）与萨尔博伊（ Salboy ）一起访问曼彻斯特，诺布曼彻斯特破土动工