Video surfaced on the net Open revolt at US broadcaster after retraction of Trump-critical contribution

After the "60 Minutes" report on deportations to El Salvador was removed from the program at short notice, the tone at CBS became even harsher. New details show how late Bari Weiss intervened - and how openly veterans of the program are opposing the new editor-in-chief.

The furor over the halted "60 Minutes" report has not diminished at CBS - on the contrary. On Monday, it was announced that CBS had pulled a previously advertised report on deportations from the program shortly before it was due to be broadcast. The investigation was supposed to shed light on the fates of men who were deported to El Salvador under President Donald Trump. Now it is becoming clearer how fierce the dispute behind the scenes really is.

US broadcaster in the crossfireTV report critical of Trump disappears three hours before broadcast

Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss defended her decision in an internal conference on Monday: she had held back the article because it was "not ready". The topic was important, but the basic messages about abuse in the notorious CECOT prison had already been described by other media. According to the New York Times, Weiss said that if "60 Minutes" was going to run the story, the program would have to "deliver more".

According to several reports, Weiss also demanded that the team make "every effort" to get key officials "on the record and on camera" - in other words, visibly, not just in writing.

It is precisely this late intervention that is causing a stir internally. In a crisis meeting on "60 Minutes", employees are said to have clearly complained about Weiss' approach. According to the "New York Times", Star correspondent Scott Pelley asked why Weiss had only intervened so late - after she had not attended several internal screenings of the report. His line reportedly sunk in: "This is not a recreational activity."

Massive criticism from CBS star correspondent

The producers also came under fire. The "Washington Post" quotes "60 Minutes" executive producer Tanya Simon as saying: "We pushed back, we defended our story, but she wanted changes, and I ultimately had to comply." In German: They objected and defended the story - but in the end they had to comply.

The already well-known criticism from correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi is not defused by the new details. She warns internally that the government's refusal to comment could become a "kill switch": "If we now go and back down every time the government doesn't say anything, then we've given them a switch to prevent unwelcome investigations."

It is also explosive that although CBS stopped the report, it is said to have been published on the public network anyway. According to the New York Times, internet users discovered that the report was briefly available online in Canada, after which recordings circulated on social media.

The timing is particularly sensitive for CBS because there is a major corporate battle going on in the background: Paramount Skydance - led by David Ellison - is pressing ahead with its takeover plans. On Monday, his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, of all people, followed suit and issued a personal guarantee of 40.4 billion dollars to support Paramount's offensive against Warner Bros. Discovery, as reported by Reuters and AP.

And President Trump himself recently lashed out at "60 Minutes" once again, writing on Truth Social that the show has treated him even worse since the "takeover" than before - the sentence ended with the tip: "If they are friends, I'd hate to see my enemies!" In German: "If they are my friends, I'd hate to see my enemies!"

CBS continues to say that the report will be broadcast later - after additional research. But the public damage has been done - and is likely to be difficult to repair."