CBS News Ends Contract with '60 Minutes' Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi After Editorial Dispute

CBS News has announced it will not renew the contract of Sharyn Alfonsi, a longtime correspondent for ‘60 Minutes’, after her contract concludes at the end of May. The decision follows a reported editorial dispute last year with Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss over a segment critical of the Trump administration.

Alfonsi, who remains employed through May, has reportedly engaged Bryan Freedman, a prominent Hollywood litigator, according to Page Six. Freedman has previously negotiated exits for high-profile TV personalities including Megyn Kelly, Don Lemon, and Tucker Carlson.

A spokesperson for CBS News declined to comment on the matter. Both Alfonsi and Freedman have not responded to requests for comment from TheWrap.

The Editorial Dispute Over the CECOT Segment

The reported contract non-renewal comes as Weiss prepares to implement significant changes to ‘60 Minutes’ once the current season concludes this month. The dispute centers on Weiss’ decision to temporarily withhold a segment titled “Inside CECOT”, which examined the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan migrants to a megaprison in El Salvador, just hours before it was scheduled to air.

Alfonsi criticized Weiss’ decision, stating in December that it was not an editorial call but a political one. She argued,

“If the standard for airing a story is that ‘the government must agree to be interviewed,’ then the government effectively gains control over the ’60 Minutes’ broadcast. We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state.”

Weiss defended her decision, claiming the segment was held due to a lack of on-record responses from the administration that advanced the story. However, the move raised concerns that it was influenced by corporate interests, particularly as parent company Paramount sought to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Weiss later acknowledged that she should not have pulled the segment just before it aired but maintained that additional reporting was necessary.

The segment eventually aired the following month, but reports indicate lingering tensions between Alfonsi and Weiss over the episode.

Alfonsi’s Response and Recent Recognition

Last week, Alfonsi received the Ridenhour Courage Prize at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. During her remarks, she framed the “CECOT” incident not as an isolated editorial disagreement but as a symptom of broader issues in journalism.

“I found the CECOT incident less of an isolated editorial argument but the result of a more aggressive contagion: the toxic spread of corporate meddling and editorial fear.”

She added, with a touch of humor,

“My hope recently has been that I still have a job.”