CBS News faced criticism over a report concerning Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Michigan Senate candidate. The controversy stems from the editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’s involvement in highlighting El-Sayed’s deleted posts about 9/11, coinciding with the approach of the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
Social media reactions were polarized. Liberal groups expressed outrage, accusing Weiss of Islamophobia and demanding repercussions for CBS News. MeidasTouch labeled it a ‘major scandal,’ while Mehdi Hasan condemned the normalization of Islamophobia in American media. Jennifer Rubin suggested that CBS should be excluded from hosting debates involving Democratic candidates.
Conservative voices mocked the reactions, viewing Weiss’s actions as routine editorial work. Charles C.W. Cooke and Mollie Hemingway defended Weiss’s role, while Matt Whitlock emphasized the newsworthiness of El-Sayed’s deleted tweets given his association with controversial figures.
The original CBS report cited El-Sayed’s past posts, including comparisons of 9/11 casualties to COVID-19 deaths. Another controversial tweet from 2021, which mentioned the aftermath of 9/11 and subsequent military actions, was also highlighted.
El-Sayed responded to the criticisms, calling the 9/11 attacks a tragedy and questioning the rationale behind certain military engagements.
CBS News did not comment directly on the backlash. A source familiar with the situation downplayed the criticism, noting that reports about politicians’ deleted posts are commonplace.
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