CENSORED? CBS Pulls Explosive 60 Minutes Report on Torture at El Salvador’s CECOT Prison - 12/23/2025 8:26 PM
- Go Merica 🇺🇸
- Dec 23, 2025
- 3 min read
The Story They Didn’t Want You to See
In a stunning move that has ignited a firestorm within one of America’s most venerable news institutions, CBS News abruptly pulled a scheduled 60 Minutes report this past Sunday, just hours before it was set to air. The investigation, titled "Inside CECOT," threatened to expose brutal conditions at El Salvador’s maximum-security prison—and allegedly implicated the U.S. government in sending Venezuelan migrants directly into what survivors call "hell."
At the center of the controversy is the newly appointed Editor-in-Chief of CBS News, Bari Weiss, who made the final call to spike the story.
What Was in the Report?
The segment, reported by veteran correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, investigated the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) in El Salvador. While the facility is touted by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele as a model for crushing gang violence, the 60 Minutes report painted a much darker picture.
According to leaked versions of the segment (which briefly aired in Canada before being taken down), the report featured:
Harrowing Testimony: Interviews with Venezuelan migrants who had been deported from the U.S. not to Venezuela, but to El Salvador’s CECOT. Survivors described systematic torture, beatings, and starvation.
U.S. Involvement: The report focused on a Trump administration policy involving the transfer of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador. Critics and legal experts in the segment argued these transfers lacked due process, effectively "rendering" people to a torture site rather than deporting them to their home country.
Lack of Due Process: Investigations highlighted in the report suggested that many of those sent to CECOT had no criminal convictions in the U.S., contradicting claims that the facility was reserved for "the worst of the worst."
Why Was It Pulled?
The official explanation from CBS leadership is editorial standards. Bari Weiss, formerly of The New York Times and founder of The Free Press, took the helm at CBS News in October 2025. Regarding the CECOT story, she reportedly told staff that the piece "did not advance the ball" and was "not ready."
Weiss argued that the story needed more on-the-record responses from the Trump administration to be fair and balanced. She asserted that the administration’s refusal to comment shouldn't result in a one-sided story, but rather a push for more reporting.
The Internal Revolt
The decision has caused a rupture inside 60 Minutes. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi sent a blistering internal email to colleagues, accusing leadership of bowing to political pressure rather than journalistic ethics.
"In my view, pulling it now, after every rigorous internal check has been met, is not an editorial decision, it is a political one," Alfonsi wrote. She argued that allowing the White House to kill a story simply by refusing to comment hands the government a "kill switch" for any journalism they find inconvenient.
Bari Weiss and the New CBS
The incident has amplified fears about the direction of CBS News under its new ownership and Weiss's leadership. Appointed by David Ellison (CEO of Skydance Media, which recently acquired CBS's parent company), Weiss was brought in with a mandate to disrupt the status quo. Her critics argue this move signals a shift toward a more cautious, potentially administration-friendly stance, while her defenders argue she is enforcing higher standards of fairness and "steel-manning" opposing arguments.
What Happens Next?
While the report was scrubbed from the Sunday lineup, the "Streisand Effect" is in full force. The segment has leaked online, drawing millions of views on social media platforms that CBS cannot control.
CBS maintains the story will air "in a future broadcast" once it meets their new standards. But for now, the question remains: Was this a case of rigorous editing, or a preview of a new era of media censorship?
Disclaimer: This post is based on current news reports as of Dec 23, 2025. The situation is developing.
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