What’s happening

CBS News has instructed its staff to avoid labeling Jerusalem as part of Israel, a directive reportedly issued by Mark Memmott, the senior director of standards and practices at the news organization. This guidance emerged amid controversy over a recent interview on “CBS Mornings” concerning Israel, adding fuel to existing debates over media coverage related to Israel and the Middle East.

Background

This directive from CBS is against the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tensions, particularly the decades-long conflict between Israel and Palestine. The status of Jerusalem is highly contentious, with Israel claiming it as its “eternal and undivided” capital. On the other hand, Palestinians see East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, following its occupation by Israel after the 1967 Middle East war. Despite these disputed views, Jerusalem is the recognized capital of Israel and hosts the U.S. Embassy.

Why it matters

This decision from CBS has been heavily critiqued on social media and by news commentators who emphasize the factual status of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. For Israel advocates, this stance taken by CBS represents a disconnection from an established reality and falls short in representing the truth to viewers. Criticism includes claims that CBS is instructing its staff to contradict factual geopolitics, affecting public understanding and perception.

Immediate Reaction

Critics were quick to voice that ignoring the status of Jerusalem in coverage amounts to denying reality. Journalistic accountability is vital in discussions revolving around Middle East politics, and the pressure mounts on media entities to accurately represent the facts. Prominent voices within media have called into question how CBS structured its editorial standards, signaling this guidance as a significant topic of debate in media and journalistic integrity concerning Israel.

This story was first published on foxnews.com.