The long-awaited 60 Minutes episode featuring the controversial shelved “Inside CECOT” segment has been a ratings flop. CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss personally had the segment axed hours before it was due to be broadcast in December, over fears it needed more input from the Trump administration. The investigation into the abuse endured by two Venezuelan men when they were deported from the U.S. to notorious megaprison in El Salvador finally aired on Sunday night. It was watched by 4.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings figures and cited by The Guardian, in competition with Sunday Night Football on NBC. 60 Minutes averaged 8.32 million viewers in the 2024-2025 season. CNN media analyst Brian Stelter pointed out on X that CBS went into damage control knowing the ratings would possibly be low. They rebranded Sunday’s show “60 Minutes Presents,” in an attempt to not bring down the season average ratings. “This is a labeling trick all the networks use at various times,” Stelter said. 60 Minutes’ interview with Donald Trump last November was seen by 14 million viewers, their best audience figures since 2021. The “Inside CECOT” segment aired with an introduction from veteran correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi who appeared to reference that heated debate as she introduced it. “Since November, 60 Minutes has made several attempts to interview key Trump administration officials on camera about our story,” she said. “They declined our requests.”
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