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Media heiress Shari Redstone, the controlling stakeholder in CBS News parent Paramount Global, reportedly fumed to network executives over its left-leaning lurch in its coverage of Israel and lobbied for them to hire more conservative voices.
Redstone sent clips from other outlets to CBS higher-ups as examples of what she felt was more balanced coverage of Israel’s battle against Hamas terrorists, according to current and former network executives cited by Wall Street Journal.
She was particularly upset with a “Face the Nation” broadcast last spring in which the show was critical of Israel after seven aid workers were killed during a strike on Gaza, the Journal reported.
Her reported fury comes after she called out CBS News President Wendy McMahon last week over her sanctioned dressing down of morning show anchor Tony Dokoupil for grilling author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his strong criticism of Israel in his latest book.
Redstone — the 70-year-old daughter of late media mogul Sumner Redstone — called Dokoupil to praise him for the tough interview and had dinner with the anchor earlier this week, the Journal reported.
The Post has sought comment from Paramount and CBS.
Aside from the Dokoupil dust-up, the Tiffany Network has been embroiled in multiple firestorms that have raised questions about the journalistic integrity at the former home of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite.
Last week, the network came under fire for allegedly editing a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris that whittled down a “word salad” answer to supposedly make it more coherent.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson ripped CBS News for trimming down his Sunday interview on “Face the Nation,” charging it was part of a pattern of undermining conservatives.
Republicans were also upset with CBS moderators who sparred with Republican Sen. JD Vance during the vice presidential debate against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz earlier this month.
CBS News also recently instructed its staffers not to refer to Jerusalem as being part of Israel, according to a report in The Free Press.
Redstone — who sold her controlling stake in Paramount to Skydance Media in a deal that is expected to close next year — had reportedly pushed for more conservative voices on the network to balance what she felt was a liberal tilt.
She also instructed former Paramount Global CEO Robert Bakish to express her concerns to CBS President and CEO George Cheeks before Bakish’s ouster earlier this year, according to the Journal.
Cheeks — who was promoted as part of the three-headed leadership of Paramount after Bakish’s exit — issued a public vote of confidence for McMahon following the Dokoupil fiasco.
The testy Sept. 30 interview prompted a staff meeting last Monday during which the anchor was faulted by McMahon and other heads of the news division for exhibiting a pro-Israel bias.
Some CBS staffers complained to higher-ups about Dokoupil and demanded that their concerns about him be addressed publicly, while others defended him for practicing sound journalism.
CBS News brass reportedly tried to quell the rancor by bringing in a self-styled “mental health expert DEI strategist and trauma trainer” — only to rescind the invite after it was learned he posted racially insensitive images about Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
During an emotional meeting last Tuesday, Dokoupil told staffers that he “regretted” putting them in a difficult position, as The Post exclusively reported.
Dokoupil, a convert to Judaism, is married to MSNBC anchor Katy Tur.
His ex-wife lives in Israel with their two children.
