EXCLUSIVE: Chaos at CBS! Bari Weiss is 'Destroying' Network's 'Reputation and Legacy' after Pulling '60 Minutes' Segment at Last Minute
New editor-in-chief Bari Weiss has been blamed for bringing down '60 Minutes.'
Dec. 24 2025, Published 11:35 a.m. ET
Bari Weiss is bringing down the once-venerable CBS News division, industry insiders tell RadarOnline.com, after the new editor-in-chief abruptly pulled a controversial report from 60 Minutes over the weekend.
Network staffers, including segment reporter Sharyn Alfonsi, have expressed their outrage at the decision and have blamed the conservative Weiss for making a "politically-motivated" decision.
Last-Minute Change
Weiss pulled a controversial segment from '60 Minutes' just hours before it was set to air.
Just hours before the story, the network announced it was delaying it, claiming it needed "additional reporting."
The segment features Alfonsi sharing harrowing stories from Venezuelan deportees who were sent to El Salvador's maximum-security prison after being deported by the Trump administration.
Alfonsi and fellow staffers, along with journalists from competing networks, have warned about the precedent the move sets, with many saying the highly regarded 60 Minutes might never recover its credibility.
One source told Radar: "The feeling inside CBS News is one of utter disparity in seeing a fully vetted work of journalism scrapped, and insiders are scared of how much more destruction the brand can handle before it’s destroyed beyond repair.
"CBS News was once the gold standard in journalism, and now it’s an arm of the Trump administration. Walter Cronkite is surely rolling in his grave."
Bari Weiss Defends Her Decision
Weiss defended her decision, as staffers objected.
In a statement, Weiss defended her decision, saying: "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.
"I look forward to airing this important piece when it's ready."
CBS has promised the segment would air in a future broadcast, and blamed the absence of an on-the-record response from the Trump administration for the yanking.
Request for Comment
Weiss has already angered her staffers.
Alfonsi said the Department of Homeland Security, the White House, and the State Department declined her request for an interview, but that claim is disputed.
According to CNN, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson did issue a statement, saying: "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."
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Bari Weiss' 'Anti-Woke' Approach
Insiders warn the damage she has done to the network's reputation.
Weiss was brought on to lead CBS News in early October, and her aggressive, "anti-woke" agenda almost instantly led several longtime staffers to quit, while others admit to feeling "terrified" by her presence.
The 41-year-old was hired by Trump supporter and new Chairman and CEO of Paramount, David Ellison, to jolt the network news division out of its left-leaning reporting.
And she wasted no time in making big changes to the network, getting rid of the liberal mainstays in favor of bringing balance – and viewers – back to the ratings-challenged operation.
But our insider said that's no way to bring back fairness and balance to the news: "You can’t cover those in power when you are constantly trying to suck up to them. Bari should be ashamed, but unfortunately, she’s so full of herself she lacks any modicum of self-awareness."
