On Tuesday's CBS This Morning, co-host Charlie Rose provided
viewers with a mere 30-second news brief on Secretary of State John
Kerry sparking a "storm of criticism" by claiming that Israel would
become an "apartheid state" [1]
if it did not accept a two-state solution with Palestine: "Secretary of
State John Kerry's backtracking after controversial comments about
Israel....Kerry released a statement last night saying, quote, 'If I
could rewind the tape, I would have chosen a different word.' Kerry says
he's been a staunch supporter of Israel for years.'" [Listen to the audio [2]]
That quick mention of the controversy was far more than NBC or ABC
provided. Both networks have continued to ignore the story that first
broke on Sunday.
On This Morning, Rose also noted some of the political
pressure brought to bear on Kerry: "The pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC
calls his comments offensive. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor believes
Kerry should apologize."
However, Rose failed to highlight Democrats [3]
like California Senator Barbara Boxer, Alaska Senator Mark Begich and
New York Congresswoman Nita Lowry all condemning the remarks as well.
All three network evening newscasts skipped Kerry's rant [4] on Monday night.
Here is a full transcript of the April 27 This Morning report:
7:14 AM ET
CHARLIE ROSE: Secretary of State John Kerry's backtracking after controversial comments about Israel.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE Kerry Backtracks; Sec'y of State Regrets "Apartheid" Remark]
At a closed-door meeting in Washington Friday, Kerry said if Middle East peace is not achieved, Israel could become an Apartheid state. That remark triggered a storm of criticism.
Kerry released a statement last night saying, quote, "If I could rewind the tape, I would have chosen a different word." Kerry says he's been a staunch supporter of Israel for years.
Even so, the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC calls his comments offensive. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor believes Kerry should apologize.
— Kyle Drennen is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter. [5]