CBS News host clashes with journalist about new book on Israel in tense interview
CBS Mornings anchor Tony Dokoupil pressed author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates on whether he believed Israel had a right to exist in a Monday interview.
CBS News reportedly ordered its staff not to say Israel's capital city of Jerusalem is in Israel.
The Free Press reported Wednesday that Mark Memmott, CBS News' senior director of standards and practices, had emailed all employees in late August telling them to "be careful with some terms when we talk or write about the news" regarding the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Included on his list of controversial terms was "Jerusalem."
"Do not refer to it as being in Israel," Memmott wrote, according to The Free Press.
CBS News reportedly told its employees to not refer to Jerusalem "as being in Israel." (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
"Yes, the U.S. embassy is there and the Trump administration recognized it as being Israel’s capital. But its status is disputed," Memmott continued. "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."
CBS News' Jerusalem guidance was panned by critics on social media.
"Standards desks are now *instructing* journalists to deny reality," Free Press contributing editor Adam Rubenstein reacted.
"Jerusalem is not only in Israel, it is the capital of Israel. What on earth is happening at CBS?" Fox News contributor Guy Benson asked.
"Then we can stop referring to CBS employees as journalists," Washington Examiner senior writer David Harsanyi wrote.
CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
CBS News has been facing turmoil over its handling of "CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil. (Getty Images)
The revelation comes amid the turmoil within CBS News after it admonished "CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil over his grilling of anti-Israel author Ta-Nehisi Coates last week.
CBS leadership reassured offended staff members that, following a review, they concluded that the interview did not meet the company’s "editorial standards," the Free Press previously reported, which obtained audio of the staff meeting.
While a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Dokoupil would not be punished over the interview, the Jewish anchor was forced to meet with the network’s in-house Race and Culture Unit following complaints.
According to The New York Times, the conversation "focused on Mr. Dokoupil’s tone of voice, phrasing and body language" during the interview.
Author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates was grilled about his views on Israel's right to exist by CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil, in an interview last week. (CBS/Screenshot)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Some have rallied in his defense, like CBS News legal correspondent Jan Crawford, who went to bat for him during a staff conference call, and Shari Redstone, chair of CBS News' parent company Paramount Global, who called the network's handling of Dokoupil a "mistake." CBS CEO George Cheeks, however, issued a memo, standing by the news network's leadership.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.