Trump’s Assault on Journalism Hits a Disturbing New Low

In a shocking display of power, CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has obliterated what was left of “60 Minutes.” Her swift destruction of this journalistic institution reveals the grim reality of Donald Trump’s relentless assault on the free press.

The first blow came when CBS News announced it would not renew the contract of correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi. Alfonsi openly criticized Weiss after she pulled a segment on torture in El Salvador’s CECOT prison, a move that sent shockwaves through the newsroom.

“It sends a chilling message to the entire newsroom,” Alfonsi stated. “I think it was a deliberate choice to penalize a journalist for refusing to sanitize accurate reporting.”

Just one day later, Weiss fired the program’s executive producer, a veteran with three decades at the network. The replacement? Tech journalist Nick Bilton, who has zero experience with CBS News.

Staff members expressed their alarm in a letter to Trump-aligned boss David Ellison, demanding he uphold journalistic integrity. Veteran journalist Scott Pelley escalated the situation, accusing Weiss of “murdering ‘60 Minutes’” during a heated all-hands meeting.

“She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that,” Pelley reportedly declared.

Longtime correspondent Steve Kroft didn’t hold back on the upheaval. “Since I retired, I often wondered what would happen to ‘60 Minutes,’” Kroft remarked. “But I never expected it would be executed by the president of the United States.”

“There is no smoking gun,” he added. “But [Trump’s] fingerprints and DNA are all over this.”

Throughout his second term, the president has waged an unrelenting war on the free press. He has weaponized the FCC against critics, punished publications for exercising their First Amendment rights, threatened to imprison journalists, and used legal intimidation as a tool. CBS News’ blatant capitulation to Trump’s demands is a disheartening spectacle.

HuffPost stands firm in its belief that journalism must hold power accountable — not submit to it.