CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss defended her decision to hold a "60 Minutes" segment she thought was not ready for publication, telling her staff in a memo on Wednesday that her goal is to win back viewers' trust.
"Right now, the majority of Americans say they do not trust the press. It isn't because they're crazy," Weiss said in her memo, reported by several news outlets.
"To win back their trust, we have to work hard. Sometimes that means doing more legwork. Sometimes it means telling unexpected stories. Sometimes it means training our attention on topics that have been overlooked or misconstrued," she continued. "And sometimes it means holding a piece about an important subject to make sure it is comprehensive and fair."
The new top editor's decision to pull the segment—which was set to highlight conditions inside the notorious Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration has deported Venezuelan migrants—drew sharp backlash this week, including from the segment's own correspondent, who called the move "political."
But Weiss, in her message to the news staff, attributed the widespread blowback to a "slow news week."
"In our upside-down moment, this may seem radical," she said about her decision to hold the piece. "Such editorial decisions can cause a firestorm, particularly on a slow news week. And the standards for fairness we are holding ourselves to, particularly on contentious subjects, will surely feel controversial to those used to doing things one way. But to fulfill our mission, it's necessary."
CBS News announced the change to the episode just hours before it was set to air on Sunday. An editor's note on the "60 Minutes" account on the social platform X notified the public that the broadcast lineup had been updated and that the "Inside CECOT" report would "air in a future broadcast."
In a statement released Sunday, Weiss said, "I look forward to airing this important piece when it's ready," The New York Times reported.
"My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be. Holding stories that aren't ready for whatever reason -- that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices -- happens every day in every newsroom," she said.
The Times reported the decision was made after Weiss "requested numerous changes to the segment." NPR, meanwhile, reported that Weiss said the segment could not air without first getting an on-the-record statement from the Trump administration.
But Sharyn Alfonsi, who reported the piece, rejected suggestions that the decision to pull the segment was an editorial one, saying in a note to colleagues, "Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices."
"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," she continued.
She also noted in her email that her team reached out to relevant government agencies and the White House with questions and did not get a response.
"Government silence is a statement, not a VETO. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story," Alfonsi wrote. "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."
The Hill has reached out to CBS News for comment.