Despite Nashville police confirming Audrey Hale, the Nashville shooter, as transgender, top executives at CBS News have instructed staff not to mention this fact when reporting on the case, according to a memo obtained by the New York Post.
In the memo, network executives state that “the shooter’s gender identity has not been confirmed by CBS News” and that it should be avoided, as it has “no known relevance to the crime.”
The decision was delivered on a Tuesday morning editorial call by Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, Executive Vice President of Newsgathering, and Claudia Milne, Senior Vice President of Standards and Practices.
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This directive has left many journalists at CBS News perplexed, as Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake has openly stated that Hale was transgender and that her identity may be relevant to the motive behind the shooting.
A CBS insider expressed frustration with the decision, stating, “withholding information is not journalism.”
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Following the Tuesday call, CBS News ceased mentioning Hale’s gender identity in their coverage, instead focusing on other aspects of the investigation.
When asked for comment, a CBS spokeswoman said, “We are waiting to see the Manifesto and any details about motive. As we say in our guidance, we will then review and revise our reporting.” The spokeswoman declined to comment further.
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The Tuesday call with CBS News executives left many of the network’s staff in an awkward silence.
A source present during the call noted that the executives appeared to be “twisting themselves in knots” by censoring their reporting due to their own “liberal bias,” ultimately doing a “disservice” to their audience.
Other major news networks, including NBC News, ABC News, CNN, and the New York Times, have all reported that police identified Hale as transgender and used he/him pronouns and the name Aiden.
In contrast, CBS News has refused to report on this aspect of the investigation, in which Hale allegedly killed three children and three adults.
One employee asked how they should handle the transgender issue during the news gathering process if friends and family of Hale brought it up in interviews.
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Milne replied that each situation would have to be assessed individually, which an insider interpreted as suggesting those details would be “eliminated” from the report.
A second source indicated that the network may face scrutiny when more details of Hale’s manifesto and emotional struggles are released.
The source criticized Ciprian-Matthews and Milne’s decision, stating, “This is not an editorial decision. They made a judgment based on personal feelings.”
