CBS News abruptly pulled an investigative report on 60 minutes just a day before it was set to air.

It began as soon as the planes landed.

It promised an inside look at allegations of abuse and torture suffered by men deported by the Trump administration and sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

The new editor-in-chief of CBS News, Barry Weiss, said the segment would eventually run,

but it needed comment from a Trump administration official.

But 60 Minutes correspondent Sharon Alfonci condemned that decision, writing in an internal email

that they did reach out to the administration

and heard nothing back. Alfonci wrote, quote, if the administration's refusal to participate

becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a kill switch for any

reporting they find inconvenient. We are joined now by Brian Stelter.

He's the chief media analyst for CNN.

Brian, thank you so much for being here.

For those who don't know the internal workings of an organization like 60 Minutes,

how unusual is it for them to pull a story at the last minute like this?

This is virtually unheard of. I've been covering TV news 20 years. I can't think of a case

quite like this. It's unique because the segment was screened ahead of time many times.

It was approved by the editors and the lawyers and the vettors, and then it was publicly announced on Friday afternoon.

CBS likes to promote the 60 Minutes lineup ahead of time to encourage people to tune in on Sunday night.

So it was promoted, but then on Saturday morning, new editor-in-chief Barry Weiss objected to the piece, expressed concerns about it, and that's why it was shelved.

Barry Weiss had to have known that the segment had been promoted ahead of time.

She had to have known it had been publicized, but she decided to intervene anyway.

Now, that is her prerogative.

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