60 Minutes Discovers Human Rights Violations Are Only News When Not US-Backed
Newsweek reported on the 'backlash' after a '60 Minutes' segment on El Salvador's hyper-authoritarian prison system, which Trump apparently admired, was pulled. The article frames it as a controversy over censorship or Trump's involvement. What it conveniently overlooks is the long history of US support for precisely this brand of 'strongman' governance in Latin America, especially when it aligns
with perceived 'stability' or anti-gang initiatives – regardless of the human cost. One might wonder if Bukele's 'iron-fist' approach, which has earned him praise from US conservatives and a subsequent reelection after alleged constitutional maneuvering, simply isn't the 'right kind' of atrocity for prime-time exposure. Apparently, human rights abuses are only newsworthy when they can't be
implicitly (or explicitly) endorsed by a segment of the American political establishment. How many Central American 'experiments' must we fund before the media stops acting surprised by the inevitable outcomes?