CBS News' Scott Pelley unsurprisingly displeased with Bari Weiss’ handling of 60 Minutes segment

Bari Weiss isn’t making any friends at CBS News, as veteran correspondents suggest that she take her job "more seriously" because it isn't "part-time."

By Matt Schimkowitz  |  December 23, 2025 | 6:20pm
(Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Free Press)
TV News 60 Minutes
CBS News' Scott Pelley unsurprisingly displeased with Bari Weiss’ handling of 60 Minutes segment

The fallout from the canceled 60 Minutes segment, “Inside CECOT,” continued unabated this week, particularly within the hollowed halls of the once-venerated news organization. The New York Times reports that at a staff meeting yesterday afternoon, the more established and recognizable members of the CBS News newsroom joined the chorus of critics against editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’ decision to spike the story. Among them, Scott Pelley, a 31-year veteran of CBS News and a longtime 60 Minutes correspondent, criticized Weiss’ strategy regarding the story. Why, he asked, did she wait until the last minute to kill a story that had been screened five times? “It’s not a part-time job,” Pelley allegedly said, as he questioned Weiss’ absence at the five screenings of the piece. “She needs to take her job a little bit more seriously,” he said. Weiss did not see the segment until Thursday, and the notes she gave the producers were integrated into the piece. Nevertheless, after CBS began promoting “Inside CECOT,” Weiss had second thoughts.

Others, like 60 Minutes executive producer Tanya Simon, who claims to have a “good working relationship” with Weiss, stood by the story and its lead correspondent, Sharyn Alfonsi, “100 percent.” Alfonsi sent a letter to colleagues about the situation earlier this week, arguing that Weiss’ reasons for pulling the story were political.

Weiss’ efforts were for naught. In spiking the story, she only made it more attractive to viewers, who found the segment online. Apparently, she pulled the story so late that a Canadian broadcast partner had already readied it for streaming. “Inside CECOT” was promptly downloaded and disseminated online, offering access to pretty much anyone who wants to see it.

 
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