CBS colleagues were “afraid to speak out” about Jewish host’s bias scandal.

CBS employees are afraid to stand up for a Jewish colleague embroiled in an impartiality dispute for fear of being “singled out” by their superiors, insiders claim.

The station was thrown into turmoil by an interview by Tony Dokoupil, one of its morning news anchors, after he was criticized by executives for his bias against Israel.

In the interview with pro-Palestinian author Ta-Nehisi Coates, Mr Dokoupil said his comments on Gaza “wouldn’t be out of place in an extremist’s backpack” and asked: “What particularly offends you?” is a safe place for Jews?”

He was later reprimanded on an all-staff call in which executives said the interview did not meet the network’s standards of impartiality. Sources on the show said Mr. Dokoupil had previously been criticized internally for his bias against Israel.

However, CBS News bosses were subsequently criticized for the intervention, including by the CEO of the network’s parent company, who said it was a “mistake” and that the interview was a model of “civil discourse.”

An ally of Mr Dokoupil told The Telegraph that staff were now afraid to defend him for fear of being sidelined by senior management.

Establish a narrative

A source at the network said the anchor’s critics in the newsroom made assumptions about his views on Israel and created a narrative about his reporting that others were unwilling to challenge.

They said most employees supported the interview but feared reprisals for standing up for their colleague because senior bosses had closed ranks in the face of public scrutiny.

CBS News has been embroiled in several impartiality controversies, with Donald Trump claiming he positively edited an interview with Kamala Harris on Monday to improve her answers.

A preview clip of the vice president giving a vague “word salad” answer about the Middle East was edited out of her interview on “60 Minutes,” the network’s flagship magazine show.

Trump called for the suspension of CBS News’ broadcast license, calling the incident a “scandal” and “fake news.” The FCC, the US broadcast regulator, said it would not suspend the license.

Reporters were also told not to refer to the city of Jerusalem as belonging to Israel due to competing claims by Palestine. A channel source said the “complicated” issue of Jerusalem’s ownership must be addressed in the broadcasts and that it should not be described as a purely Israeli city.