5 Things You Should Know About the Latest Bari Weiss 60 Minutes Controversy |
Media Criticism
Robby Soave | 12.23.2025 3:19 PM
CBS News Editor in Chief Bari Weiss intervened to prevent 60 Minutes from airing a segment on the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador, and her many critics elsewhere in the media are worried that there's one obvious reason for such a call: appeasing President Donald Trump. Defenders of Weiss, on the other hand, note that it's perfectly typical for an editor to offer feedback on a piece of journalism and demand changes—better sourcing, comments from government officials, etc.—before it's ready to run.
Who's right? This is one of those cases where people on both sides have made at least a few reasonable points—though there's no getting around the overarching concern that flattering Trump's ego is becoming all too powerful a motivating factor for media corporations. Here are five thoughts on the matter.
1. On the pro-Weiss side, it's true that her editorial notes are not particularly unreasonable.
New: See the memo Bari Weiss sent to some 60 Minutes staff on Sunday: pic.twitter.com/3ERieIGXLh
— Isabella Simonetti (@thesimonetti)