CNN faces backlash from staff over censoring Palestinian perspective in coverage

CNN staff say the network is pro-Israel and censoring the Palestinian perspective in its coverage amounts to "journalistic malpractice".

The organisation is facing a backlash from its own staff over editorial policies they say have led to a regurgitation of Israeli propaganda, a report in the Guardian states. 

"The majority of news since the war began, regardless of how accurate the initial reporting, has been skewed by a systemic and institutional bias within the network toward Israel," said one CNN staffer. "Ultimately, CNN's coverage of the Israel-Gaza war amounts to journalistic malpractice."

Emails obtained by the Guardian show accounts from six CNN staffers in multiple newsrooms, and more than a dozen internal memos stating that daily news decisions are shaped by a flow of directives from the CNN headquarters in Atlanta that have set strict guidelines on coverage.

They include tight restrictions on Palestinian perspectives, while Israeli government statements are taken at face value. In addition, every story on the conflict must be cleared by the Jerusalem bureau before broadcast or publication.