• 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

• ·细品门派阵法 《盖世豪侠》战斗必读宝典
• ·日本四大动漫出版社起诉美国公司盗版 东京法院判赔5亿日元
• ·麦格纳推出DRIVE Hyperion兼容电控单元 并为英伟达DRIVE AV提供一级供应商集成服务
• ·谋权篡位霸世世界aiwan87《王城争霸》奇特弄法
• ·今年起单位代扣代缴增值税，个人偷税将变难
• ·高手过招，列位看官请欣赏
• ·日本四大动漫出版社起诉美国公司盗版 东京法院判赔5亿日元
• ·新年首虎！卸任两年后，副部级田学斌被查
• ·上汽回应欧盟反补贴税决定：应避免人为设置新能源汽车贸易壁垒
• ·《星际裂变》PC版下载 Steam正版分流下载
• ·骁龙游戏技术赏：高通携手生态伙伴展现移动技术创新赋能前沿数字娱乐体验
• ·麦格纳推出DRIVE Hyperion兼容电控单元 并为英伟达DRIVE AV提供一级供应商集成服务
• ·对决剑之川外攻队玩法搭配分享
• ·心动小镇兑换码都有什么 心动小镇公测开服兑换码福利分享
• ·雷军：对诅咒车主的网友，该起诉起诉！
• ·诱人的香辣跳水虾 水煮北极虾做法