The Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi has accused CBS News of penalizing her for “refusing to sanitize factually accurate reporting” and sending a “chilling message” to the newsroom by declining to renew her contract for the show.
Alfonsi was at the center of a national firestorm after the CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, shelved a segment she had reported on a notorious prison in El Salvador. She confirmed to the Guardian that she had not been offered a contract to return for the show’s 59th season, which begins in the fall.
Her contract expired on Saturday, and a source close to Alfonsi said her team had not heard from CBS recently. Still, she remains employed by the network, and has said she had no plans to resign, meaning that CBS News would have to terminate her. (The New York Times first reported that she had not been offered a new contract.)
On Wednesday morning, Alfonsi issued a lengthy statement criticizing the network’s decision-making and leadership.
“Over the weekend, my contract with CBS News expired, drawing to a close nearly twenty years with the network, including more than a decade at 60 Minutes,” Alfonsi wrote.
“Following an intense editorial dispute over our [prison story], repeated attempts by my representation to establish a path forward were met with absolute silence from network executives. The message could not be clearer: my time at 60 Minutes is apparently over.
“In the coming days, network leadership may attempt to hide behind corporate euphemisms like ‘modernization’ and ‘restructuring’ to explain away my departure. Don’t be misled. This was not a routine corporate transition; it was a deliberate choice to penalize a journalist for refusing to sanitize factually accurate reporting, and it sends a chilling message to the entire newsroom.
“Fearless, independent reporting has always been the defining standard at 60 Minutes. Today, CBS management is abandoning that mission, choosing access journalism over accountability and protecting power rather than scrutinizing it.
“The wall between editorial independence and corporate interest at CBS is being methodically torn down. Journalists willing to challenge authority are being pushed aside in favor of those who will not. If this continues, the result will be a broadcast that looks like 60 Minutes but lacks the courage and character to produce journalism that matters.
“To my colleagues, who became family – working beside you has been the privilege of a lifetime. You are second to none. I’ve learned exactly what it costs to hold the line right now. Hold it anyway. Viewers and the people who trust us with their stories deserve nothing less.”
CBS has been contacted for comment.
Alfonsi’s exit was expected as part of a broader shake-up of the show that insiders fear could hurt its standing at the top of the US television hierarchy. After the December segment was shelved, Alfonsi accused Weiss of doing so for “political” reasons. During a speech in Washington late last month, Alfonsi went even further, decrying “the spread of corporate meddling and editorial fear” at CBS News.
While not naming her bosses at CBS News, Alfonsi spoke about “corporate calculations” happening at media companies these days. “Some executives are asking not: ‘Is the story true?’ But: ‘Is it good for business?’” she said. “Right now, our industry is afraid of the wrong things. We’re afraid of offending power. We’re afraid of losing access. We’re afraid of another baseless lawsuit. But what we should all be afraid of is silence.”
Alfonsi’s reporting had not appeared on the final three episodes of the show’s 58th season, which concluded on 17 May. Her last piece was a 26 April segment about highly sought-after pigeons that compete in speed contests and the criminals who seek to steal them.
Because her contract has lapsed, Alfonsi is now eligible to seek employment elsewhere.
The show’s 59th season, which begins in the fall, will also be without veteran correspondent Anderson Cooper, who opted to leave the show.
In an online piece tied to his exit, Cooper said that “the independence of 60 Minutes has been critical”, comments that were seen as critical of the network’s management.
Cooper also seemed to nod to potential changes at the program. “I hope 60 Minutes remains 60 Minutes,” he said. “There are very few things that have been around for as long as 60 Minutes has and maintained the quality that it has. And things can always evolve and change, and I think that’s awesome, and things should evolve and change, but I would hope the core of what 60 Minutes is always remains.”
