Sharyn Alfonsi says CBS story dispute is behind her '60 Minutes' exit

Longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi's time at CBS News is over after nearly two decades, and she said an editorial dispute over a December story on the Trump administration's enforcement of immigration procedures is the reason why.

The TV journalist's contract with the network expired over the weekend, following nearly 20 years at CBS News and more than a decade at "60 Minutes," she confirmed in a statement shared with the Los Angeles Times and People.

"Following an intense editorial dispute over our CECOT story, repeated attempts by my representation to establish a path forward were met with absolute silence from network executives," she said in a statement, the LA Times reported. "The message could not be clearer: my time at 60 Minutes is apparently over."

USA TODAY reached out to representatives for CBS News and Alfonsi for comment.

Sharyn Alfonsi accused network of pulling story in 'political' decision

The segment at the center of Alfonsi's reported comments, "Inside CECOT," examined the infamous anti-terrorism prison in El Salvador. Human rights groups condemned the maximum-security facility for its dangerous conditions, and the prison has served as a symbol in President Donald Trump's controversial immigration enforcement.

A CBS spokesperson said the story was halted because it needed additional reporting. The segment eventually aired on Jan. 18 with added comments from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, details of the criminal records of those deported, and additional reporting on one with tattoos, the network said in a statement shared with USA TODAY.

Alfonsi, 53, said in an email to multiple news outlets, including Reuters, that she learned that CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss cut the segment not because of an editorial decision but "a political one."

"Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices," she wrote in an email, People reported. "It is factually correct."

Alfonsi said viewers were expecting the story in December after days of promotion and that the "public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship," according to a note she sent to "60 Minutes" staffers, Yashar Ali reported. "We are trading 50 years of 'Gold Standard' reputation for a single week of political quiet."

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY