CBS News has reportedly instructed its employees not to refer to Jerusalem as part of Israel as the network faces increasing internal pressure over its handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mark Memmott, senior director of standards at CBS News, sent an email to all CBS News employees in late August with a list of terms to “watch out for” when “talking or writing about news” regarding the war in Gaza, according to from a report published in The Free Press.
“Jerusalem” was included in the list of controversial terms.
“Don't talk about being in Israel,” Memmott reportedly wrote in the note.
The report said Memmott confirmed the presence of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and that the Trump administration had approved Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
“But his status is in question,” Memmot reportedly wrote. “Jerusalem's status goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
“Israel considers Jerusalem its 'eternal and indivisible' capital, while the Palestinians consider East Jerusalem – occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war – as the capital of a future state.”
CBS News did not respond to requests for comment.
Congress recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 1995, when it passed a law relocating the embassy in Jerusalem.
In 2017, former President Donald Trump formally recognized the holy city as the capital of Israel.
But rather than instructing reporters not to refer to Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Memmott's memo advised journalists not to acknowledge that Jerusalem was in Israel at all.
Meanwhile, tensions mount online “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil grilled journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates on his anti-Israel book “The Message.”
A convert to Judaism whose ex-wife lives in Israel with their two children said that Coates' book “would not be out of place in an extremist's backpack” because of its position on Israel.
In an interview with CBS, Coates argued that Israel's treatment of Palestinians was abhorrent and compared their experiences to those of black people in the United States and Africa.
In his book, he condemns what he calls Israel's “apartheid” in the administration of territories captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.
A CBS adviser reportedly reprimanded Dokoupil for questioning Coates harshly.
“Why ignore the fact that Israel is surrounded by countries that want to eliminate it? Why ignore the fact that Israel is dealing with terrorist groups that want to eliminate it?” Dokoupil asked Coates.
On Tuesday, the morning show host told staffers during a tearful meeting that he “regretted” putting them in a difficult situation, especially other journalists who are overseas and in danger, the Post previously reported.
One CBS employee told The Free Press that the Dokoupil controversy exposed a double standard at the network.
“There is a huge difference between the way all ethnic groups or minorities are treated and the way Jews and Jewish issues are treated,” a source told CBS. “The general rule is: If you are Jewish and interested in reporting on Jews or Jewish issues, it is a 'hold' or a 'no,' whereas for any other group it would be an enthusiastic 'yes.'
