Former CBS News anchor Katie Couric has publicly condemned the new leadership at her former network after a "60 Minutes" segment on El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison was abruptly pulled by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
A Public Rebuke from a Veteran Journalist
In a post on her Instagram page on Monday, Couric, who once worked as a part-time correspondent for the iconic newsmagazine, did not mince words. "This is the kind of censorship journalists at CBS feared," she wrote. "It's appalling but not surprising. And now it's happening — what a disgrace." Her criticism targets the leadership installed after Paramount-Skydance absorbed Weiss's The Free Press newsletter and appointed her as the network's news chief.
Couric had previously warned that this corporate move risked "compromising independent journalism," as reported by The New York Post. Her latest comments add to a wave of scrutiny facing CBS and its executives in recent months.
The Backdrop: A Controversial Settlement and Merger
This incident follows Paramount's agreement to pay former President Donald Trump $16 million to settle his lawsuit against "60 Minutes." The settlement was finalized ahead of the Paramount merger with Skydance, a deal that required approval from the Trump administration.
At the Gracies Leadership Awards in New York last month, Couric expressed she was "mortified" that Trump had "basically extorted" CBS to ensure the merger proceeded. On Monday, she directly linked the censorship of the prison segment to this corporate dynamic, writing: "This is what happens when network owners are beholden to an administration for their business transactions."
Internal Backlash and Defiance
Internally, the decision to kill the segment has caused significant turmoil. According to The Washington Post, Bari Weiss defended her last-minute choice on an internal call, stating that "60 Minutes" simply needed to "do more" on the story.
However, this justification was met with resistance from the program's own staff. Tanya Simon, the executive producer of "60 Minutes," informed her team that she "ultimately had to comply" despite pushback from herself and colleagues in defense of their reporting.
The reporter of the segment, veteran correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, slammed Weiss's decision in an internal email. Alfonsi stressed that the story was factually accurate and had already undergone "every rigorous internal check" standard for the broadcast.
The controversy highlights growing tensions within CBS News under its new leadership, raising fundamental questions about editorial independence and the chilling effect of corporate mergers on investigative journalism.
