A pulled “60 Minutes” segment spread online after the unedited episode aired in Canada, sparking backlash and debate inside CBS News.
A 60 Minutes segment that was pulled from the CBS broadcast at the last minute is now circulating widely online after the unedited episode aired in Canada and was later released on a Canadian streaming platform.
The segment, titled “Inside CECOT,” was originally scheduled to run on 60 Minutes and focused on Venezuelans who were deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador’s high-security CECOT prison.
The report featured correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi and producer Oriana Zill de Granados, and included testimony from detainees describing alleged abuse and harsh conditions inside the prison.
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss ultimately decided to pull the segment shortly before it aired in the U.S., saying the story was not yet ready for broadcast. In a message to staff, Weiss explained that while the segment included “powerful testimony,” it did not add significant new reporting beyond what had already been covered by other outlets.
She also emphasized the importance of securing on-camera responses from key officials.
“Our viewers come first,” Weiss wrote. “Not the listing schedule or anything else.”
However, the timing of the decision meant that the full episode had already been distributed to 60 Minutes’ Canadian broadcast partner. As a result, the unedited version aired in Canada and was later made available on Global TV’s streaming platform, according to a Canadian source.
Once viewers realized the pulled segment had aired abroad, clips and full recordings quickly began appearing on social media platforms such as X and YouTube, shared by users who had access to the Canadian broadcast. CBS could potentially pursue copyright claims to remove those uploads.
The move sparked internal backlash. Alfonsi expressed strong objections in an email to colleagues, stating that the story had been screened multiple times and cleared by CBS attorneys as well as Standards and Practices. She argued that pulling the segment after that process was complete was not an editorial decision, but a political one.
Weiss, meanwhile, told staff she remains committed to airing the story once her editorial concerns are addressed. However, because the original version is now publicly available, viewers will be able to compare any revised segment with the version that has already circulated online.
The situation has highlighted tensions within CBS News over editorial judgment, timing, and the challenges of controlling content in a global media landscape.
