Shellenberger: ’60 Minutes’ segment paused by Weiss led by reporter with history of ‘biased and inaccurate reporting’

A CBS reporter, with an alleged history of inaccurate reporting, accused editor in chief Bari Weiss of censoring her story for “political” reasons. But journalist Michael Shellenberger outlined other reasons Weiss may have had concerns.

A Sunday episode of “60 Minutes” was slated to air a 13-minute segment on the infamous maximum-security prison in El Salvador known as CECOT. The segment, “Inside CECOT,” aimed to highlight the stories of Venezuelan men who were deported to the terrorist detention center by President Donald Trump’s administration.

‘An editorial decision is not the same as censorship.’

Less than 48 hours before the segment was scheduled to air in the U.S., Weiss pulled it, arguing that it was flawed and incomplete, according to the New York Times. During a Monday newsroom call, she reportedly stated that the segment was removed “because it was not ready” but that she looked forward to airing it “when it’s ready.”

“We need to push much harder to get [the Trump administration’s] principals [sic] on the record,” Weiss wrote in an internal memo to “60 Minutes” producers, the Times reported. She suggested pursuing an interview with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.

Weiss also reportedly instructed producers to obtain more information about the criminal history of the deported men.

“We do our viewers the best service by presenting them with the full context they need to assess the story,” she wrote. “In other words, I believe we need to do more reporting here.”

Sharyn Alfonsi, the reporter who created the segment, accused Weiss of “corporate censorship,” according to a leaked email to colleagues. She explained that she had attempted to obtain a comment from the Trump administration for the segment but was unsuccessful, noting that this was one of the reasons Weiss had stopped it from running.

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Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In her original report, she claimed that the Department of Homeland Security declined an interview request. However, the White House reportedly responded on Thursday.

“’60 Minutes’ should spend their time and energy amplifying the stories of Angel Parents, whose innocent American children have tragically been murdered by vicious illegal aliens that President Trump are [sic] removing from the country,” the White House spokesperson stated.

While the segment did not air in the U.S., it was broadcast in Canada because it was not pulled in time, the Times reported.

The White House’s statement did not appear in the original report.

“Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices,” Alfonsi wrote Monday, according to Fox News Digital. “It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now, after every rigorous internal check has been met, is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.”

“If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient,” Alfonsi added.

Journalist Michael Shellenberger criticized Alfonsi for having a history of “biased and inaccurate reporting.”

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Sharyn Alfonsi. Photo by Marla Aufmuth/Getty Images for Texas Conference for Women

Shellenberger stated that in April 2021, Alfonsi worked on a “60 Minutes” episode that falsely accused Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) of exclusively choosing Publix, a supermarket chain, to distribute COVID-19 vaccines because the company had donated to his political campaign.

He explained that Alfonsi made these false claims despite Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat, repeatedly refuting the accusations.

After the episode aired, Moskowitz wrote in a post on X, then-Twitter, “@60Minutes I said this before and I’ll say it again. @Publix was recommended by [the Florida Division of Emergency Management] and [the Florida Department of Health] as the other pharmacies were not ready to start. Period! Full Stop! No one from the Governor’s office suggested Publix. It’s just absolute malarkey.”

Shellenberger noted that “three major liberal or left-wing fact-checking organizations” criticized the inaccuracy of the DeSantis segment.

He argued that Alfonsi has failed to present any evidence of “corporate censorship” concerning Weiss’ decision to postpone the CECOT segment.

“And an editorial decision is not the same as censorship, particularly since Weiss said she is delaying, not killing, the segment,” he wrote.

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