CBS News has reportedly instructed its staff to stop referring to Jerusalem as part of Israel due to growing internal pressure over its handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mark Memmott, CBS News' senior director of standards, sent an electronic list of terms to all CBS News employees in late August to “be careful” when “talking about or writing about the news” about the war in Gaza. I sent it by email. According to the Free Press report.
“Jerusalem” is on the list of controversial terms.
Memmott reportedly wrote in the note: “Please do not mention this is in Israel.”
According to the report, Memmott confirmed that the US Embassy in Jerusalem and the Trump administration recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“However, that status is debatable,” Memmott reportedly wrote. “The status of Jerusalem is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
“Israel considers Jerusalem its 'eternal and undivided' capital, while Palestinians claim East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war, as the capital of their future state.”
CBS News did not respond to a request for comment.
Congress recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 1995. Adopted the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act.
In 2017, former President Donald Trump officially recognized the Holy Land as Israel's capital.
But instead of instructing reporters not to refer to Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Memmott's memo instructs them not to acknowledge that Jerusalem is in Israel at all.
Meanwhile, tensions are rising on CBS Morning after co-host Tony Dokoupil criticized journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates for his anti-Israel book, The Message.
Dokupil convert to judaism whose His ex-wife lives in Israel with their two children.said Coates's book “would feel comfortable in an extremist's backpack” because of its stance on Israel.
During the CBS interview, Coates claimed that Israel's treatment of Palestinians was abhorrent and compared their experience to that of black people in the United States and Africa.
In his book, he denounces Israel's “apartheid” control over territory captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.
CBS executives reportedly reprimanded Dokoupil for his harsh questioning of Coates.
“Why do you ignore that Israel is surrounded by countries that want to eliminate Israel? Why do you ignore that Israel is dealing with terrorist groups that want to eliminate Israel?” Dokoupil asked Coates. Ta.
On Tuesday, the morning show anchor told staff during a tearful meeting that he “regrets” the difficult position he had put his fellow journalists, especially those overseas and at risk, in a statement. The Post previously reported.
1 CBS employee told the free press It says the controversy surrounding Dokopil has exposed double standards in the network.
“There is a huge difference between how all ethnic and minority groups are treated and how Jews and Jewish issues are treated,” the CBS source said. “A good rule of thumb is if you're Jewish and you're interested in reporting on Jews and Jewish issues, it's a 'wait a minute' or 'no,' but for other groups, it's an enthusiastic You will answer “Yes''.
