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’60 Minutes’ Sharyn Alfonsi Talks CBS News ‘Dust-Up’ and ‘Corporate Meddling’
Alfonsi said the CECOT segment was screened five times and cleared by lawyers before CBS pulled it, then aired later after backlash.
On Thursday, correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi criticized CBS News leadership while accepting the Ridenhour Prize for Courage at the National Press Club in Washington, warning of "corporate meddling and editorial fear" at the network.
The speech follows a December conflict where CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss shelved Alfonsi's report on Venezuelan migrants in El Salvador's CECOT prison, demanding Trump administration comments before airing.
Alfonsi told the audience that executives ask "Is it good for business?" rather than "Is the story true?", noting she refused to alter her report to avoid "capitulation or censorship."
With her contract nearing its end, Alfonsi acknowledged uncertainty regarding her future at CBS News under Weiss and Paramount CEO David Ellison, who acquired the network for $8 billion.
Leadership transitions have prompted significant scrutiny and high-profile departures, as the network has experienced slow ratings since Skydance Media's acquisition last year.