CBS News executives reportedly banned their journalists and news anchors from reporting on Audrey Hale’s transgender identity after the 28-year old biological woman slaughtered six at a Christian grade school in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday.
According to a new report by the New York Post, CBS News banned the use of the word “transgender” in reports about Hale despite law enforcement officials pointing to her transgender identity as a key factor in the heinous Covenant School shooting.
The New York Post reportedly obtained a Tuesday memo from CBS News that revealed network executives prohibiting the use of the word “transgender” in their reporting.
BREAKING REPORT: CBS News reportedly BARRING STAFF FROM USING THE TERM 'TRANSGENDER' to reference Nashville shooter…
THEY WANT TO REWRITE HISTORY..
A TRANSGENDER murdered six people, including three children, at a private Christian school in Tennessee..
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) March 31, 2023
“The shooter’s gender identity has not been confirmed by CBS News,” the network’s executives said. “As such, we should avoid any mention of it as it has no known relevance to the crime. Should that change, we can and will revisit.”
The “transgender” Nashville reporting ban was announced on Tuesday morning during an editorial call hosted by CBS News executive vice president of newsgathering Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews and CBS News senior vice president of standards and practices Claudia Milne, the Post says.
“Right now we advise saying: POLICE IDENTIFIED THE SUSPECT AS A 28-YEAR-OLD AUDREY HALE, WHO [sic] THEY SHOT AND KILLED AT THE SCENE,” the memo reads. “And move on to focus on other important points of the investigation, community and solutions.”
Nashville police chief confirms Audrey Hale identifies as transgender, suggests her trans identify played a role: "We have a manifesto … and a map of how all of this was going to play out." pic.twitter.com/75KL1yXCCq
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 27, 2023
The Post’s sources say that some journalists were shocked by the censorship move, particularly given that Nashville Police Chief John Drake pointed to Hale’s transgenderism as a potential motive.
“This is absurd because the police identified Hale as transgender,” a CBS insider reportedly said. “If the cops didn’t address it, maybe you could avoid it, but withholding information is not journalism.”
According to the Post, the CBS News decision to hide Hale’s transgender identity was reflected in the networks Nashville coverage since Tuesday, as mentions of Hale’s gender have ceased.
“We are waiting to see the manifesto [written by Hale] and any details about motive,” a CBS spokeswoman explained to the Post. “As we say in our guidance, we will then review and revise our reporting.”
Just days after transgender Hale murdered six Christians in Nashville, Joe Biden proclaimed that transgender people “shape our Nation’s soul” and officially established March 31 as the “Transgender Day of Visibility.”
It's almost like they're celebrating how a transgender murdered Christians in Nashville this week https://t.co/Q0d4KzI7c8
— Andrew (@whiteaf5) March 30, 2023
Biden’s proclamation comes after his Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, offered condolences to the “trans community” after one of their own killed six in the horrific Nashville slaughter.
KJP: "Our hearts go out to the trans community — as they are under attack right now."
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 30, 2023
Follow Andrew on Twitter @whiteaf5.
