CBS recently instructed its staff not to refer to Jerusalem as part of Israel, citing its internationally disputed status. This directive, aimed at "maintaining neutrality in covering the Gaza conflict," has sparked controversy among Jewish employees and Israeli officials, who argue it undermines the U.S.'s official recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Mark Memmott, head of CBS News' ethics department, relayed the instructions in an email to all network employees in August, telling them to "exercise caution with certain terms when discussing or writing about the news," specifically mentioning Israel's war with Hamas. "Do not refer to Jerusalem as part of Israel," he wrote.
Memmott acknowledged the U.S. embassy's presence there and the Trump administration's recognition of it as Israel's capital but emphasized its status as contested. "Jerusalem is a core issue of contention between Israel and the Palestinians," he said, urging reporters to treat it as having a disputed status rather than an Israeli city since the international community does not recognize the city's unification under Israeli sovereignty, particularly the annexation of East Jerusalem adding that this issue also concerns readers globally, necessitating a balanced and sensitive approach.
Several leading global media outlets have previously decided to avoid calling Jerusalem Israel's capital due to the international dispute. The BBC has omitted references to Jerusalem as Israel's capital on several occasions, and last October, Ynet reported on a series of guidelines given to AP reporters.
Regarding Jerusalem, the agency instructed not to refer to the city as Israel's capital, stating, "Israel considers the entire city its capital. The Palestinians view annexed East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state." It further noted that "the majority of the international community does not recognize Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem and believes its fate should be determined in peace talks."
However, CBS's approach—home to acclaimed programs like "60 Minutes"—goes further, seeking to avoid mentioning Jerusalem as part of Israel altogether. This directive is viewed by many company employees as a more extreme step than acknowledging the conflict over East Jerusalem's status. "It's not about whether East Jerusalem was occupied by Israel or if it's the capital of a future Palestinian state," said a Jewish news reporter at the network. "The management's decision not to recognize Jerusalem as part of Israel at all—even its western part—shocked many of us."
Journalism or politics?
Official Israeli sources speaking with Ynet said that CBS's directive constitutes "distorted interpretations of international law" and deviates from U.S. policy, which recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 1995 with the passage of the Embassy Relocation Act, officially enforced by the Trump administration in 2017.
Many social media users criticized the network, including pro-Israel media figures claimed that "CBS's ethics department has its own standards, designed to deny reality." Among the critics were Israeli and Jewish American writers who noted that the U.S. Congress and the White House have already clearly declared Jerusalem's status, and CBS's involvement in this discussion seems more political than journalistic to them.
Beyond the discussion of journalistic standards, this recent controversy underscores internal tensions within the network. Tony Dokoupil, host of CBS Mornings, recently faced harsh criticism from network management after challenging author Ta-Nehisi Coates, who wrote a new anti-Israel book, in a morning segment interview about Coates' seemingly antisemitic views.
Coates was repeatedly questioned by the Jewish interviewer about his views on Israel's right to exist, and following the criticism, Dokoupil was required to attend repeated meetings with the network's "race and culture" department due to what was defined as inappropriate conduct during the interview.
The CEO of the network's parent company, Paramount, however, supported Dokoupil, stating that the network's leadership erred in its response to the tense interview. "I think Tony did an excellent job with that interview. I believe he handled it professionally and exemplified how cultural discourse should be conducted. He demonstrated responsibility, a system of checks and balances, and frankly, I was very proud of the work he did," said Paramount CEO Shari Redstone, who is notably Jewish and a vocal supporter of Israel.
CBS declined to officially reply to Ynet's inquiry on the matter, but a senior company official dismissed claims of an anti-Israel agenda, instead asserting it as an effort to maintain news objectivity: "This has no impact on our coverage; we are not biased against Israel, and it is merely intended to remind our reporters to include context regarding the ongoing conflict."
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