CBS News Declines to Renew Alfonsi’s Contract

CBS News has declined to renew the contract of Sharyn Alfonsi, a correspondent for '60 Minutes', following an editorial dispute over a segment about a Salvadoran prison. According to multiple reports, Alfonsi's contract expired on Saturday, and CBS has no plans to renew it.

Alfonsi told The New York Times that the decision sends a "chilling message" to the entire newsroom. She accused CBS of penalizing her for refusing to sanitize accurate reporting. The dispute stems from a segment about a mega-prison in El Salvador, where the U.S. has sent hundreds of mostly Venezuelan migrants without trial. The segment was pulled hours before it was due to air in December but aired on CBS a month later.

Alfonsi criticized the network's decision at the time, stating that the report was "factually correct" and that pulling it for political reasons would give the administration a 'kill switch' for any reporting they find inconvenient. CBS News is owned by Paramount Skydance, which acquired Paramount in August 2023.

Under Bari Weiss's leadership as editor-in-chief, there have been several departures within the newsroom. Bill Owens, a top executive producer on '60 Minutes,' left in April of last year over concerns about journalistic independence. Anderson Cooper also gave an emotional farewell earlier this month, stressing the importance of maintaining journalistic independence.