CBS News has decided against renewing the contract of correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi from “60 Minutes” following her disagreement with Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss regarding a December story about a Salvadoran prison, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
The network withdrew the story — which focused on a large prison facility where the United States has placed hundreds of primarily Venezuelan migrants without trials — just hours before its scheduled broadcast, leading to claims from “60 Minutes” staff and members of Congress that CBS was practicing self-censorship due to political influence.
Speaking to the New York Times Wednesday, Alfonsi confirmed she remains a CBS employee but lacks a contract and doesn’t anticipate returning to the renowned news program.
The network’s refusal to extend her contract “sends a chilling message to the entire newsroom,” Alfonsi stated to the Times. “I think it was a deliberate choice to penalize a journalist for refusing to sanitize accurate reporting.”
CBS falls under Paramount Skydance ownership. A network representative did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Attempts to contact Alfonsi directly were unsuccessful.
The prison story circulated online in December before eventually broadcasting on CBS one month afterward.
At the time, Alfonsi condemned the network’s choice, stating in a message to her colleagues that CBS withdrew the story for “political” motivations. Weiss defended the delay in a December staff email, explaining that regaining Americans’ confidence “sometimes means holding a piece about an important subject to make sure it is comprehensive and fair.”
Skydance Media, led by David Ellison — son of President Donald Trump supporter Larry Ellison — purchased Paramount in August and appointed Weiss as editor-in-chief in October. David Ellison helped obtain regulatory clearance for the transaction that formed Paramount Skydance, promising the CBS network would represent the “varied ideological perspectives” of American audiences.
Trump has consistently urged the Federal Communications Commission to remove broadcasting licenses from major networks NBC and ABC while demanding payment for their use of public airwaves, criticizing their news coverage.
Before the acquisition, Paramount settled a 2024 Trump lawsuit for $16 million concerning a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, which he claimed presented a misleading portrayal of his presidential opponent.
The FCC stated the settlement and regulatory approval process were separate matters.
