CBS Drops The Soap

Why is CBS protecting Trump?

Inside CECOT is a 60-minute segment that never had a chance to air…at least not in the United States.

CECOT is the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador. This maximum security prison is soft on human rights and has contracted with the Trump administration to detain migrants it deports. The 60-minute expose details the torture carried out at this prison, along with the inhumane living conditions. Nearly half the detainees in the prison have not been charged with any crimes.

The segment is presented by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi and was scheduled to air on December 21, but it was pulled within three hours of airing. It was pulled by brand new CBS news division boss, Bari Weiss.

One of Weiss' concerns was that the segment didn't have a quote from Stephen “Baby Goebbels” Miller, the architect of Trump's immigration policy. Don't worry. He gives us a quote later.

Alfonsi accused Weiss of pulling the segment for political reasons, saying, “Pulling it now—after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one. [...] Government silence is a statement, not a VETO. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story. [...] 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.”

Since the segment was pulled so late from the airing of 60 Minutes on the 21st, it hadn't been removed from the version of the episode that was sent to Global Television Network, which airs the news program in Canada. Guess what happened? Yep. The segment aired in Canada, and you can see it in all its glory here.

You know how you will sometimes see a photo or a video on social media with a note claiming it’s something Donald Trump doesn't want you to see, so you should share it? That stuff is usually bullshit, but this is real. Neither Donald Trump nor Stephen Miller wants you to see this segment. Neither does Bari Weiss, who seems to be working extremely hard to protect the Trump administration.

Let's see if you can tell who is in the wrong and who is in the right in this situation. Journalists are upset that the segment was pulled and feel it is a danger to American journalism. Republicans are upset that it aired and that anyone can see it.

Writing for The Atlantic, Jonathan Chait said Weiss afforded undue deference and weight to the perspectives of conservatives while denying the same legitimacy to arguments from left-leaning actors, implying that it represented a pattern of behavior witnessed previously in her editorial tenure at The Free Press, arguing that "conservatives would never accept a left-wing government using regulatory favoritism to pressure conservative media into softening their coverage of a Democratic administration."

Barking for MAGAts, Stephen Miller called for CBS to fire all of the producers who "engaged in this revolt" against Weiss for pulling the segment, which he described as "another pathetic '60 Minutes' hatchet job.

Have you figured out which side is in the right and which side is in the wrong yet?

Don't forget the back context to this. CBS paid Donald Trump $16 million in a settlement over a bullshit lawsuit concerning a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. This was in order for the Trump administration to greenlight the purchase of the network by Skydance. In addition to making Donald Trump happy by bribing him, Paramount, the parent company of CBS, fired Stephen Colbert.

It's scary when the government goes after the media. It's even scarier when the media willingly complies.

Creative note: I had this concept for several days, but I hadn't nailed the idea down yet. So I went ahead with a few other cartoons first and figured I would come back to it after Christmas. I put the entire thing together in my head while showering this morning.

Showering alone, much like drawing a political cartoon, is another accomplishment for a stroke survivor.

Sometimes, when I draw a cartoon that references a movie or a TV show, I will try to become more familiar with it. When the film BlackKKKlansman first came out, I had a cartoon idea incorporating the movie to draw the next morning. It was a Friday night, and I decided to rush to the theater before the film started to see it, just to make sure I was on track with it. I had been wanting to see the movie anyway. On that note, I feel I should provide full disclosure, and that I have never seen Ernest Goes To Prison.

One of my proofers hates prison rape jokes, and I get it. One of my clients, this one in Arizona, wrote me within minutes of receiving this cartoon to tell me that prison rape jokes are not funny. What was I supposed to do? Withdraw the cartoon?

Stroke update: I was discharged today from home rehab with my occupational therapy. Last session was last week, and the administrator came to my apartment today to check me out. She liked what she saw. I think the administrator for my physical therapy will be visiting later this week, maybe tomorrow. I didn't know today's visit was happening until basically when it was happening. I have a doctor’s appointment next week, and from there, we will set up outpatient rehab near the hospital and outside of my apartment.

I still have a long way to go with rehab. Drawing the cartoons is still extremely difficult and frustrating. But I am doing nearly 100% of it with my right hand now.

Drawn in 30 seconds

Support your local cartoonist: If you want to support the cartoonist, please donate through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com, Venmo to clay-jones-87, or snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.
I also take Zelle.
All support is appreciated.

Signed prints and books: I cannot take orders for signed prints or for my books at this time. So please do not send me money or place orders for them until further notice. Because of the stroke, it is an ordeal for me to get to the post office, so we’re gonna hold up until I’m fully capable of doing so. Thank you for your understanding.

Merch: Did you know there’s a Claytoonz store? My cartoons are printed on mugs, clothing, caps, and even a Peezy T-shirt. If you ever want a specific cartoon on some merch, let me know, and I’ll add it.