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Posted on 12/30/2025 7:10:29 AM PST by Red Badger
A growing group of former CBS News journalists is preparing to confront the network’s new owner David Ellison, chief of Paramount Skydance, demanding “editorial independence” after a 60 Minutes investigation into deported migrants was abruptly pulled from air.
In a petition addressed to Ellison and published by the New York Post, signatories warn that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’s decision to spike the report represents a dangerous political intervention in journalism. The letter is being circulated among current and former staff and is expected to be sent in early January.
The 60 Minutes segment, examining the treatment of migrants sent to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison by the Trump administration, was pulled just hours ahead of broadcast. Weiss argued it needed more work.
“The efforts by CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss to prevent this story from airing on December 21, 2025, signals a breakdown in editorial oversight, and risks setting a dangerous precedent in a country that has traditionally valued press freedom,” the petition states.
The letter goes further, criticizing the editor-in-chief’s insistence that the piece be delayed until it included a White House voice: “Weiss’ last-minute proposal that the story be delayed until it included a White House official, despite reported efforts by the ‘60 Minutes‘ team to get comment from the Administration, was inappropriate.”
“Her specific urging to interview White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller proved particularly troublesome,” the memo adds, “given that he went on to call for everyone at the CBS News network who was involved in the production of this report to be fired.”
The episode has exposed fault lines inside CBS News following Weiss’s appointment in October, seen as part of Ellison’s effort to broaden the ideological range of the network after Paramount’s acquisition of Weiss’s media venture, The Free Press.
In an internal email to colleagues at the time, correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who reported the segment, argued that the report had met standards and the decision to pull it was a “political one” after President Donald Trump lashed out at 60 Minutes as being biased against him and attacked the new leadership.
Weiss has defended her call, 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.”
She added: “I look forward to airing this important piece when it’s ready.”
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May I suggest a resignation letter as well?
“How dare you stop us from being partisan propagandists?”
So, they’re pissed because Bari wanted them to include opposing views of the story. Got it.
Weiss told the reporting team that she wanted a Trump Administration response on air as part of the story. Sharyn Alfonsi said that they tried to get the administration to give a response, but they refused. It turns out that the administration did respond and Alfonsi lied or at least misled Weiss. That is the scandal, not Weiss delaying the story.
It was nice of the “journalists” to give CBS a nice letter saying exactly who should be fired in the upcoming cuts.
If these “signatories” are not dealt with, they will be allowing the inmates to run the asylum and they will effectively be firing Weiss, not the mutineers.
ROTFL!
“A growing group of FORMER CBS News journalists......
They are so brave, they had to get people who already are unemployed to write the letter...........
These “journalists” were never journalists. They were/are rabid leftwing political activists to the core. They’re upset someone is trying to present both sides of the story.
Yup, good way to end up on the “you are next” list....
I was unaware CBS had news journalist.
If that lefty worked for me, she would be out the door in less than 10 seconds. Disagreements with your boss remain in house, always. Lying to your boss compounds the error in judgment and makes it a firing event.
A sure sign of a Communist is that they will not allow the other side to even present their argument.
“Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.”
― William F. Buckley
No? Nothing?
These people think they are Woodward and Bernstein, and when they see what a clown show it is, they get angry.
The 60 minutes crew are too busy writing letters about not being able to air their Leftist activism - no time to cover bad news for Democrats.
For leftists anyone who disagrees is a Nazi and holocaust denier.
That ends the conversation in a hurry.
(Oh wait—there are some Freepers that use the same tactic.)
They ‘drafted’ a memo?
I think they ‘sent’ it.
He should formalize the process and give them a suggestion box!
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