"Hours before the episode went live, however, CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss made the decision to pull the report. The move sparked outrage within CBS News and across the media industry, with some accusing Weiss of yanking the segment because it would make President Donald Trump look bad. In a company memo, Weiss explained that her decision was motivated by the fact that the segment did not include voices from the Trump administration."
"The episode struggled to attract a significant audience, earning an average viewership of just 4.9 million total viewers. It marked a staggering 41% decrease from CBS's 60 Minutes episode from two weeks earlier (8.3 million) and a 38% decrease from 60 Minutes's average viewership for 2025 (7.9 million). Some in the industry have speculated this may have been by design."
"As noted in a report from Awful Announcing, this past Sunday's episode had to compete with an NFL playoff thriller between the Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears on NBC. The game kicked off around 6:30, meaning it was on throughout the entire duration of 60 Minutes. The belief is that Weiss and other CBS executives surely factored that into their decision, thus minimizing the potential audience to watch the CECOT report."
The report focused on inmates sent to the Salvadoran prison CECOT as part of the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. The segment was scheduled for late December but was pulled hours before airing by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who cited the absence of Trump administration voices. The episode later aired without those voices after the administration repeatedly denied interview requests and directed questions to CECOT officials and the Salvadoran government. The broadcast drew 4.9 million viewers, down 41% from the prior episode and 38% below the 2025 average, amid speculation that NFL competition and rebranding as 60 Minutes Presents limited its audience.
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