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The segment is by veteran journalist Anderson Cooper and covers the Trump administration’s decision to accept refugees from South Africa, a report says
Owen Scott Friday 09 January 2026 19:58 GMT- Bookmark
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Close‘Morning Joe’ shreds Bari Weiss for spiking '60 Minutes' segment
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CBS News has pushed back at a report claiming editor-in-chief Bari Weiss held another 60 Minutes story critical of Donald Trump’s policies.
The disputed segment by veteran journalist Anderson Cooper is about the Trump administration’s plan to accept South African refuges, according to Status.
Trump has often repeated a debunked conspiracy theory that a genocide of white people was taking place in South Africa and set out plans to prioritize white South Africans' visa claims last October.
Sources told the newsletter the as-yet unaired segment was viewed by producers in December, with Weiss giving “extensive editorial feedback.” The newsletter, produced by a former CNN media reporter, also suggested the story was “all but guaranteed to provoke Trump” and that there had been an “abnormal” level of review.
However, a source close to CBS News has denied the claims and insists the story is still being worked on.
open image in galleryA 60 Minutes story by Anderson Cooper has reportedly been held (2022 Invision)“Bari Weiss did not hold the story,” the source said in a statement to The Independent. “The story was already going through our standard, rigorous editorial review led by executive producer Tanya Simon, which led to multiple screenings.
“The story was not held, it's still in action and in reporting stages with the team,” they continued. “Tanya made the decision to have the team continue with their reporting.”
A previous 60 Minutes report critical of Trump was pulled in December, sparking backlash behind the scenes.
The other segment focused on the mistreatment of migrants sent by the United States to CECOT, a prison in El Salvador. The 13-minute clip was set to be broadcast in December before it was withdrawn before air.
Weiss, appointed as CBS News editor-in-chief last year, attempted to justify the decision in an email to staff at Christmas, arguing it was necessary to “win back” the trust of Americans disillusioned by network news.
“[S]ometimes it means holding a piece about an important subject to make sure it is comprehensive and fair,” she said in a message seen by The Independent.
open image in galleryThe news comes after another 60 Minutes story was axed, which focused on the Trump administration sending prisoners to CECOT (pictured with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem) in El Salvador (AP)However Sharyn Alfonsi, the reporter who produced the CECOT segment, wrote in a leaked email that she believes the real reason for the story being axed was “corporate censorship.”
Sources at the broadcaster later told The Independent that staff were ready to “revolt” over the scandal. One person even described it as a “holy f***ing dumpster fire.”
The 60 Minutes story, which later leaked online, included several accounts from detainees about the treatment they had endured in CECOT.
One of the interviewees was a Venezuelan college student who had sought asylum in America. He told 60 Minutes that the prison director had a chilling message for him upon arriving: “Welcome to hell. I'll make sure you'll never leave.”
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