An internal memo from CBS News has reportedly instructed its newsroom to avoid referring to the perpetrator of the Covenant School massacre as “transgender.”
CBS News executives allegedly told staffers that until the shooter’s gender identity is corroborated, reporters should refrain from including that detail in stories about the tragedy. The memo stated, “The shooter’s gender identity has not been confirmed by CBS News. As such, we should avoid any mention of it as it has no known relevance to the crime. Should that change, we can and will revisit.”
“The shooter’s gender identity has not been confirmed by CBS News. As such, we should avoid any mention of it as it has no known relevance to the crime. Should that change, we can and will revisit.” stated the memo.
The directive left CBS staffers perplexed because law enforcement has already confirmed the perpetrator was transgender, a biological female who identified as male, and have strongly suggested the perpetrator’s identity is central to the motive for the crime. The killer’s manifesto, however, has not yet been released.
Internal sources who spoke with the New York Post said CBS staffers were stunned by the directive.
“This is absurd because the police identified [the killer] as transgender,” one CBS staffer said. “If the cops didn’t address it, maybe you could avoid it, but withholding information is not journalism.”
“This is not an editorial decision,” another source said. “They made a judgment based on personal feelings.”
