CBS News did not warn its journalists last month participation Jerusalem is inside Israel, after telling reporters not to label Hamas members as terrorists in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attacks.
Mark Memmott, the senior director of standards and practices at CBS News, told all network employees via email in August not to refer to Jerusalem “as being in Israel.” The free press reported Wednesday.
He reportedly wrote in a note to “thousands” of CBS journalists: “Yes, the US Embassy is there and the Trump administration has recognized it as the capital of Israel. But its status is disputed. The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
As President Donald Trump moved the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, he angered Palestinians who claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state.
The Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem on September 17, 2024
On Thursday, Bari Weiss, founding editor at The Free Press, said: claimed that an editorial “boilerplate” email was sent to CBS reporters on October 8, 2023, just one day after Hamas’s attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people.
“Reporting on this weekend’s violence in Israel and Gaza requires a closer look at the language we use in describing the events,” read the note that Weiss posted to her X account and was viewed more than 200,000 times on Friday.
“For example, the US government considers Hamas a terrorist organization; However, depending on the facts, it may be inaccurate to suggest that an individual is a ‘terrorist’.
A Palestinian fighter with Hamas pictured on July 19, 2023
Bari Weiss claimed that an editorial “boilerplate” email was sent to CBS reporters on October 8, just one day before Hamas’ attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people.
“There are some who believe that Hamas’ attack is justified retaliation for the Israeli occupation of their country. Others believe that this is an unprovoked attack on Israel and that as such Israel has every right to defend itself.”
A network spokesperson familiar with the emails told DailyMail.com that The Free Press took its style guidelines out of context, saying the part about not referring to Jerusalem as being in Israel was intended to remind reporters of context about the ongoing to include conflict.
The news came as the network was criticized for chastising CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil for what many said was his rightfully harsh questioning of author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his pro-Palestinian stance.
Following allegations that fellow host Gayle King had tipped Coates off what questions would be asked, the network denied the claim and defended her.
Many accused the network of hypocrisy by citing a clip of Gayle King interviewing Thomas Hand in November 2023 about the October 7 kidnapping of his eight-year-old daughter Emily.
Thomas Hand, left, appeared on CBS Mornings with Gayle King, right, and Tony Dokoupil in November 2023 after his daughter Emily was kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attacks
CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil (right) excoriated author Ta-Nehisi Coates (left) for “delegitimizing” Israel’s right to exist last week
King asked Hand, “This all seems to be about politics. What do you say to that? You know, you have innocent children and Palestinians dying, innocent Israeli children dying. And no one seems to be able to say, ‘Enough, stop it.’
Hand laughed nervously and replied, “I’m not interested in politics at all. My only concern is getting Emily back.”
King’s tough line of questioning – which was backed by her bosses at CBS Mornings – led to accusations of hypocrisy after Dokoupil challenged Coates last week over his anti-Israel views.
Jewish Insider correspondent Lahav Harkov said of King’s conversation with Hand: “It’s against CBS standards for Tony Dokoupil to ask Ta-Nehisi Coates tough questions about his anti-Israel screed, but apparently it was fine for Gayle King to make accusations to the father of a hostage – who, by the way, said nothing derogatory about the Palestinians.’