Sharyn Alfonsi

Stories

The CBS News kill switch

Leading internal resistance to editorial interference

Three hours before airtime on December 22, CBS News killed a 60 Minutes investigation into Venezuelan migrants tortured in an El Salvador prison after Trump deportations. The segment had passed five screenings, legal review, and standards checks. New editor-in-chief Bari Weiss—appointed two months earlier when Paramount Skydance bought her media company for $150 million—demanded the piece include Trump administration comment or an interview with hardline advisor Stephen Miller. When the White House refused, she spiked it.

Updated May 16

Notable Quotes

"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." — December 22 email to colleagues

from The CBS News kill switch · Updated May 16

"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." — Warning about precedent

from The CBS News kill switch · Updated May 16