Exclusive | Ex-CBS reporter Debora Patta — fired – Business News
Ousted CBS News journalist Debora Patta — whose interview with Mike Huckabee on Gaza landed her in a controversy months earlier than she received laid off this week — is seeking to sue the community, The Post has realized
The South Africa-based international correspondent is “speaking to lawyers” after CBS News slashed her job simply months after she got here beneath fire from Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, who claimed an Aug. 7 interview he gave her was closely edited and misrepresented his views on the scenario in Gaza.
Patta’s exit was half of a spherical of roughly 100 cuts orchestrated by CBS News president Tom Cibrowski. Sources speculated that the community’s new editor in chief Bari Weiss, who’s identified for her staunchly pro-Israel views, performed a function within the determination to ax the 61-year-old reporter.
Ousted international correspondent Debora Patta is “speaking to lawyers” after she was terminated by CBS News on Wednesday. CBS
Patta signed a new three-year contract in August, based on a source with information of the matter, who added that CBS shouldn’t be giving her a full payout.
A former CBS staffer stated the community could not have an obligation to take action. That is dependent upon what her contract stipulates — which can make a breach-of-contract declare unlikely.
“She is probably looking to sue over her Middle East coverage,” the particular person stated.
CBS News declined to remark. Patta didn’t return a number of requests for remark.
It’s unclear whether or not David Ellison, CEO of CBS News father or mother Paramount Skydance, performed a function in Patta’s firing. He beforehand voiced a dedication to unbiased journalism to Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr — a situation for the company to OK this previous summer season’s $8 billion merger between Skydance and Paramount.
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Both Carr and President Trump have accused CBS News of liberal bias. In July, the community paid $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit accusing CBS News of “deceptively” enhancing a “60 Minutes” interview to make his 2024 opponent Kamala Harris look higher.
Sources speculated that CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss performed a function within the determination to put off Patta. Getty Images for Uber, X and The Free Press
Huckabee put Patta on blast when he accused CBS News of deliberately enhancing his four-minute sitdown together with her to craft a “different story than the one they had.” The former Arkansas governor claimed on X on Aug. 8 that his feedback on studies of hunger in Gaza had been misrepresented.
“Ever wonder how the media edits an interview to give you a different story than the one they had?” Huckabee wrote.
Patta’s interview with Mike Huckabee drew criticism with the US ambassador to Israel claiming it misrepresented his views on the battle in Gaza CBS News
He then added a hyperlink to the full transcript on the US embassy web site, displaying what was edited out of the CBS News interview. For occasion, Patta requested Huckabee whether or not he’s “deeply troubled by images of starving children.” Huckabee replied, “I’m moved when the photos are verified.”
In the unedited exchange, Huckabee answered: “I’m moved when the photos are verified. I mean, we’re all moved when you see someone, especially a child who’s starving. But the New York Times published a picture on the front page of what was purported to be a starving child. Turns out the child had a birth defect and had not been starving.”
He continued: “There were other pictures, for example, that were published of starving children in Gaza. Turned out one of them was from Yemen. One was from 2017. There was another photo that appeared to be somewhat staged, with photographer all set up to get pictures of a few people herded into a small area.”
The interview closed with Patta asking Huckabee about claims that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.
Patta was given a new three-year contract in August, based on a source. CBS News
“If Israel is attempting genocide, they’re really, really bad at it. They could have had genocide on October the 8th,” Huckabee stated within the aired piece.
In the complete exchange, he stated: “They could have dropped a few bombs and have annihilated all Gazans, it’s not that big an area. They certainly had the capacity to do it, and saw that in the 12-day war with Iran. It is the most ridiculous thing in the world to say that Israel is committing genocide. That’s absurd. On its face, it’s absurd. If they were trying to commit genocide, it would not have taken them 22 months.”
Still, Patta’s exit after 12 years at CBS News got here as a shock inside the community.
CBS News was hit with a spherical of roughly 100 cuts on Wednesday. AFP through Getty Images
“Top CBS News executives were appalled by the decision,” a source stated, noting that the hard-charging Patta has reported in battle zones together with Syria and Ukraine, along with the Israel-Hamas struggle.
Patta has additionally led many of the community’s best investigations lately, the particular person added.
Her exit leaves a gaping gap as many correspondents in Europe “refuse” to set foot in battle zones, the particular person stated.
“It will be very challenging to cover the news,” the source added.
