The 60 Minutes segment, spiked by CBS News' Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss for not being ready, is now readily available online after the Canadian network that airs the show released the original version of the program on its streaming platform. A source in Canada confirmed that as of Monday evening, the full original 60 Minutes episode, including the "Inside CECOT" segment that was pulled at the last minute, was available for viewing.
The 60 Minutes segment featured Sharyn Alfonsi as the correspondent and Oriana Zill de Granados as the producer, speaking to Venezuelans who had been deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison. However, Weiss asked that it be pulled before it aired, stating, "I held a 60 Minutes story because it was not ready. While the story presented powerful testimony of torture at CECOT, it did not advance the ball—the Times and other outlets have previously done similar work. The public knows that Venezuelans have been subjected to horrific treatment at this prison. To run a story on this subject two months later, we need to do more. And this is 60 Minutes. We need to be able to get the principals on the record and on camera. Our viewers come first. Not the listing schedule or anything else. That’s my north star and I hope it’s yours, too."
By the time Weiss asked for the episode to be adjusted, the network had already released that week's lineup for the newsmagazine, and it came too late for changes to be made in time for Canadian broadcast (or whoever is responsible for transmitting the episode to the Canadian TV partner did not make the requested change).
As a result, the segment is now widely available on platforms like X and YouTube from viewers who have posted their videos of the segment. However, copyright complaints from CBS could dampen enthusiasm for this availability.
Meanwhile, Alfonsi was outraged by the move, emailing her colleagues that "our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct," Alfonsi wrote. "In my view, pulling it now—after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one."
Weiss told staff that she is serious about getting the story on air once her concerns have been addressed, though Global TV's move will now let viewers see whatever changes CBS makes to the final version.
