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Amid Ta-Nehisi Coates and Israel Scandals, CBS News Is Facing a Crisis of Its Own Making
Ta-Nehisi Coates. Photo: Wiki Commons.
Something is deeply wrong within the CBS News newsroom.
In recent months, several concerning incidents have emerged, revealing a serious issue within the editorial department of one of America’s largest news networks. These events point to an editorial team that appears to have been co-opted by activist-cum-journalists, where political biases have overtaken the network’s foundational commitment to accurate and impartial reporting. Equally troubling is the apparent abdication of oversight by editorial management, allowing journalistic standards to erode further.
CBS’ issues are most evident in a series of separate incidents related to the current Israel-Hamas war. These examples highlight that the infiltration of ideological motivations into the newsroom is not a new phenomenon, but rather a longstanding issue that has now become glaringly apparent.
CBS Producer’s Terrorist Links Revealed
An HonestReporting exposé in July revealed that a longtime CBS producer, Marwan al-Ghoul, who directs coverage from the Gaza Strip, has close ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and spoke at an official event for the proscribed terrorist group, which has carried out numerous deadly attacks on Israeli civilians.
In 2018, Al-Ghoul was among the speakers at an official PFLP event commemorating one of the prominent members of the terror group who was also Al-Ghoul’s relative.
According to the PFLP website, Al-Ghoul spoke on behalf of the family, which “expressed their gratitude to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and their esteemed comrades everywhere in the Palestinian land … for their … commitment to continue the struggle.”
Despite these disturbing revelations, CBS has refused to take any action against Al-Ghoul, declining even to comment on whether the network will continue employing him.
The Ta-Nehisi Coates Fiasco
One of the most high-profile incidents that laid bare the disquiet occurring at CBS was the furor that followed an interview between network anchor Tony Dokoupil and author Ta-Nehisi Coates, who was on a publicity tour for his new essay collection, The Message, part of which tackles the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In a move that angered Dokoupil’s colleagues, the veteran journalist challenged Coates on some of the more contentious aspects of his book, including observing that it “would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist,” and highlighting its omission of any mention of Palestinian terrorism.
This direct line of questioning led to an internal campaign waged by staffers against Dokoupil, who was subsequently reprimanded and forced to apologize by senior management — a decision that Paramount Global’s CEO, Shari Redstone, later reportedly admitted was a “mistake.”
Once again, CBS News did what has now become a pattern — ignored external criticism, refused to reverse its unjust reprimand of a journalist for simply doing his job, and continued down its path of compromising journalistic integrity.
Unbelievable. @CBSNews reprimanded a journalist for doing his job—challenging @TaNehisiCoats‘ limited understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. https://t.co/ZBEBcReNjg
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) October 8, 2024
Internal Newsroom Orders Over Israel’s Capital
The pervasive anti-Israel bias that has taken over CBS News is perfectly encapsulated in an email sent out by the network’s senior director of standards and practices, Mark Memmott, in August, reminding staff not to refer to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, as “being in Israel.”
According to the Free Press, the email continued: “Yes, the U.S. embassy is there and the Trump administration recognized it as being Israel’s capital. But its status is disputed. The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel regards Jerusalem as its ‘eternal and undivided’ capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem—occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war—as the capital of a future state.”
While the status of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital may be contested, arguing over whether it is actually in Israel is another matter entirely.
Aside from the fact that the Israeli Knesset physically sits in Israel, the Jerusalem Embassy Act, which was passed by the US Congress in 1995, recognizes the city as Israel’s capital. CBS’s stance implies otherwise, suggesting the network has taken it upon itself to unilaterally redefine the borders of a sovereign nation and its capital city.
Creeping Bias in News Stories
In the stories published daily on CBS News’ website, HonestReporting has uncovered numerous incidents demonstrating the organization’s sliding standards concerning its Israel coverage.
Wrong, @CBSNews. There’s plenty of evidence if you can be bothered to look, including provided by the IDF.
Do CBS reporters not bother checking IDF press releases or doing actual investigative journalism?
Let’s take a look at some of what you missed.
https://t.co/SG11KuO0Wa pic.twitter.com/aoVLyIMMZJ
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) October 28, 2024
Most recently, this has included examples of CBS journalists disregarding established facts from their own previous reports to construct an anti-Israel narrative. For instance, in a piece published last week, CBS claimed that the IDF had “provided no evidence” of Hezbollah weapons being stored in civilian areas — despite the fact that a CBS affiliate had reported on the evidence just a month prior.
Why CBS Must Act Now
These incidents paint a troubling picture of the declining journalistic standards at CBS News, where political bias has eclipsed the fundamental responsibility of reporting the truth. CBS News has lost its way, and without an immediate course correction, it will soon lose its credibility as a news outlet and its reputation along the way.
This starts with demanding that journalists either learn to leave their biases at the door or find another employer. For CBS News to demonstrate its commitment to maintaining editorial standards, rooting out the individuals who are eroding its reputation is where it begins.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Amid Ta-Nehisi Coates and Israel Scandals, CBS News Is Facing a Crisis of Its Own Making first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Germany’s Halt to Arms Exports to Israel Is Response to Gaza Expansion Plans, Chancellor Says
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends a cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Aug. 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen
Germany’s decision to curb arms exports to Israel comes in response to Israel’s plan to expand its operations in the Gaza Strip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday in an interview with public broadcaster ARD.
“We cannot deliver weapons into a conflict that is now being pursued exclusively by military means,” Merz said. “We want to help diplomatically, and we are doing so.”
The worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel’s plans to expand military control over the enclave have pushed Germany to take this historically fraught step.
The chancellor said in the interview that the expansion of Israel’s operations in Gaza could claim hundreds of thousands of civilian lives and would require the evacuation of the entire city of Gaza.
“Where are these people supposed to go?” Merz said. “We can’t do that, we won’t do that, and I will not do that.”
Nevertheless, the principles of Germany’s Israel policy remain unchanged, the chancellor said.
“Germany has stood firmly by Israel’s side for 80 years. That will not change,” Merz said.
Germany is Israel’s second-biggest weapons supplier after the US and has long been one of its staunchest supporters, principally because of its historical guilt for the Nazi Holocaust – a policy known as the “Staatsraison.”
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Newsom Calls Trump’s $1 Billion UCLA Settlement Offer Extortion, Says California Won’t Bow
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference, accompanied by members of the Texas Democratic legislators, at the governor’s mansion in Sacramento, California, U.S., August 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Saturday that a $1 billion settlement offer by President Donald Trump’s administration for UCLA amounted to political extortion to which the state will not bow.
The University of California says it is reviewing a $1 billion settlement offer by the Trump administration for UCLA after the government froze hundreds of millions of dollars in funding over pro-Palestinian protests.
UCLA, which is part of the University of California system, said this week the government froze $584 million in funding. Trump has threatened to cut federal funds for universities over anti-Israel student protests.
“Donald Trump has weaponized the DOJ (Department of Justice) to kneecap America’s #1 public university system — freezing medical & science funding until @UCLA pays his $1 billion ransom,” the office of Newsom, a Democrat, said in a post.
“California won’t bow to Trump’s disgusting political extortion,” it added.
“This isn’t about protecting Jewish students – it’s a billion-dollar political shakedown from the pay-to-play president.”
The government alleges universities, including UCLA, allowed antisemitism during the protests and in doing so violated Jewish and Israeli students’ civil rights. The White House had no immediate comment beyond the offer.
Experts have raised free speech and academic freedom concerns over the Republican president’s threats. The University of California says paying such a large settlement would “completely devastate” the institution.
Large demonstrations took place at UCLA last year. Last week, UCLA agreed to pay over $6 million to settle a lawsuit by some students and a professor who alleged antisemitism. It was also sued this year over a 2024 violent mob attack on pro-Palestinian protesters.
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Trump Nominates State Dept Spokeswoman Bruce as US Deputy Representative to UN
FILE PHOTO: U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce speaks during her first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was nominating State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce as the next US deputy representative to the United Nations.
Bruce has been the State Department spokesperson since Trump took office in January.
In a post on social media in which Trump announced her nomination, the president said she did a “fantastic job” as State Department spokesperson. Bruce will need to be confirmed for the role by the US Senate, where Trump’s Republican Party holds a majority.
During press briefings, she has defended the Trump administration’s foreign policy decisions ranging from an immigration crackdown and visa revocations to US responses to Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza, including a widely condemned armed private aid operation in the Palestinian territory.
Bruce was previously a political contributor and commentator on Fox News for over 20 years.
She has also authored books like “Fear Itself: Exposing the Left’s Mind-Killing Agenda” that criticized liberals and left-leaning viewpoints.
In a post after Trump’s announcement, Bruce thanked him and suggested that the role was a “few weeks” away. Neither Trump nor Bruce mentioned an exact timeline in their online posts.
“Now I’m blessed that in the next few weeks my commitment to advancing America First leadership and values continues on the global stage in this new post,” Bruce wrote on X.
Trump has picked former White House national security adviser Mike Waltz to be his U.N. envoy. Waltz’s Senate confirmation for that role, wherein he will be Bruce’s boss, is still due.
Waltz was Trump’s national security adviser until he was ousted on May 1 after he was caught up in a March scandal involving a Signal chat among top Trump national security aides on military strikes in Yemen. Trump then nominated Waltz as his U.N. ambassador.