In early October, CBS News spotlighted one of its own—Gaza-based producer Marwan Al Ghoul—to mark a year of the war in Gaza. Since foreign journalists are not allowed to report from Gaza independently, CBS relies heavily on Al Ghoul for on-the-ground coverage. Over the past year, he has reported from the rubble of bombed-out buildings, overwhelmed hospitals, and displaced families. “Like anybody, we want to be free,” Al Ghoul expressed, voicing his personal anguish about the devastation in Gaza.
While Al Ghoul has received praise from CBS for his bravery and work ethic, there is growing controversy over his public social media posts, which display a clear anti-Israel bias. According to reports, Al Ghoul has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide and has made inflammatory comments about Israel and Jews, which have been flagged by the pro-Israel media watchdog group CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis), reports National Review.
CAMERA’s findings, which include Facebook posts from Al Ghoul and his son, Fares Marwan Alghoul, who also works as a CBS cameraman, allege that the pair have praised terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians and questioned the humanity of Jews. Most of these posts are in Arabic, and CAMERA has provided translations showing the two celebrating acts of violence and adopting extremist rhetoric.
Critics, including CAMERA spokesman Jonah Cohen, have accused CBS News of displaying a double standard. The network reprimanded Jewish CBS co-anchor Tony Dokoupil for his firm questioning of Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of a book critical of Israel, while seemingly turning a blind eye to Al Ghoul’s overt anti-Israel commentary. “It just seems to us that CBS is willing to ignore or excuse antisemitism from its staff while penalizing journalists who challenge anti-Israel narratives,” Cohen stated.
Marwan Al Ghoul, who has been working with CBS News for two decades, specializes in covering the aftermath of Israeli strikes. His reporting has focused on the suffering of Palestinians, with little emphasis on Hamas’s role in the conflict. CBS correspondent Holly Williams has acknowledged that many Gaza-based journalists, including Al Ghoul, “are not neutral observers, and they don’t pretend to be.” Al Ghoul’s coverage has predominantly criticized Israel’s actions, often aligning with Hamas’s narrative, which, critics argue, could compromise CBS’s journalistic objectivity.
