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With only hours to go before CBS's 60 Minutes hits our screens, reports are that the pulled "Inside CECOT" segment will finally air.
Posted in: CBS, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: 60 minutes, cbs news, opinion
Is 60 Minutes Looking to Air or Bury Pulled "CECOT" Segment Tonight?
With only hours to go before CBS's 60 Minutes hits our screens, reports are that the pulled "Inside CECOT" segment will finally air.
Article Summary
- 60 Minutes may air its previously pulled "Inside CECOT" segment tonight, according to new reports.
- The segment highlights alleged abuses of Venezuelan detainees at CECOT under the Trump Administration.
- Original broadcast was pulled at the last minute despite clearing legal and editorial checks at CBS.
- Canadian viewers saw the unaired segment as it leaked via Global TV, sparking controversy online.
Nearly a month after CBS News Chief of Staff Bari Weiss pulled a segment from the long-running news program that was critical of the Trump Administration, only hours before it was set to air, reports are that CBS's 60 Minutes will finally air "Inside CECOT," according to CNN's Brian Stelter. At the time of this writing, no official word has gone out on CBS or CBS News' social media, or on CBS News' press site. It should be noted that if the segment airs tonight, it will do so with less than 4 hours to go before airtime; not exactly a large amount of time to get the word out about the segment. In addition, CBS's 60 Minutes will compete with NBC's NFL Divisional Playoff game featuring the Los Angeles Rams against the Chicago Bears.
In the segment, correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi spoke with several Venezuelan individuals who were detained in El Salvador's CECOT (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo/Terrorism Confinement Center) by the Trump Administration to discuss the brutal and torturous conditions they endured. Though the segment was cleared by the network's legal department and Standards and Practices, and given the green light to be sent to the press for promotion, the notice went out only hours before it was set to air that the segment was being pulled for a "future broadcast" (we have a full timeline of the controversy that followed here).
"Right now, the majority of Americans say they do not trust the press. It isn't because they're crazy," read the note from Weiss, President Tom Cibrowski, and new senior editors Charles Forelle and Adam Rubenstein, defending the decision to pull the segment. "To win back their trust, we have to work hard. Sometimes that means doing more legwork. Sometimes it means telling unexpected stories. Sometimes it means training our attention on topics that have been overlooked or misconstrued. And sometimes it means holding a piece about an important subject to make sure it is comprehensive and fair." The memo continued, "Such editorial decisions can cause a firestorm, particularly on a slow news week. And the standards for fairness we are holding ourselves to, particularly on contentious subjects, will surely feel controversial to those used to doing things one way. But to fulfill our mission, it's necessary."
A silver lining in all of this is that, should the segment eventually air, we will have the opportunity to compare it to the original segment. Canadian television network Global TV uploaded and made the original episode available for viewing on its app (but not broadcast). Although the original episode was eventually taken down, it wasn't before many people had a chance to view it, download it, and share it on social media, YouTube, and Reddit.
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