By Trendsetter Tribune 
At the Golden Globes, Nikki Glaser mocked CBS for shelving a ‘60 Minutes’ investigation into abuse at a Salvadoran prison tied to Trump-era deportations.
Nikki Glaser didn’t just roast celebrities at the Golden Globes—she roasted the media institutions that claim to hold power accountable while quietly protecting it.
During her opening monologue on Sunday night, Glaser took direct aim at CBS for its decision to shelve a 60 Minutes investigation into alleged abuse at a notorious Salvadoran prison where hundreds of Venezuelan men were unlawfully deported during the Trump administration.
Standing on CBS’ own stage, Glaser did what the network’s executives refused to do: tell the truth out loud.
After joking that Trump’s Justice Department deserved an award for “best editing” due to its heavy redactions of recently released Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, Glaser turned her attention to CBS itself.
“The award for most editing goes to CBS News,” she said. “Yes. CBS News: America’s newest place to ‘See B.S. News.’”
The crowd laughed. The implication was deadly serious.
When Journalism Waits for Permission, Power Wins
The 60 Minutes segment was reportedly shelved after CBS’ newly appointed head of news, Bari Weiss, claimed the investigation was not “ready” because the Trump administration had not agreed to respond on the record.
That rationale has sparked outrage inside the newsroom.
Sharyn Alfonsi, the 60 Minutes journalist who reported the story, publicly pushed back—warning that allowing government silence to block publication amounts to institutional surrender.
“If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story,” Alfonsi said, “we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient.”
That is not journalism. That is preemptive compliance.
A Pattern of Media Self-Censorship
The investigation reportedly focused on abuse inside a Salvadoran prison used to detain migrants deported from the U.S.—a story with enormous public interest implications. Instead of airing it, CBS chose caution over courage, optics over accountability.
Glaser’s jab landed because it cut close to the bone: legacy media outlets increasingly posture as defenders of democracy while quietly retreating whenever power pushes back.
The irony of CBS hosting a comedian mocking its editorial cowardice—on live television—was impossible to miss.
Comedy Did What Corporate News Wouldn’t
Glaser’s monologue underscored an uncomfortable reality: in 2026, comedians are still doing the job journalists are too constrained—or too compromised—to do themselves.
She didn’t need leaked memos or internal emails. She needed only a microphone and the nerve to say what audiences already suspect—that some of the biggest names in news are more afraid of political backlash than public truth.
If a government can stop an investigation simply by refusing comment, then press freedom doesn’t die loudly. It dies quietly, behind the scenes, approved by executives who insist they’re just being “responsible.”
Nikki Glaser wasn’t just joking.
She was documenting the moment.