Prominent South African journalist Debora Patta, long recognised for her frontline reporting with CBS News, is reportedly considering legal action against the US broadcaster following her recent dismissal – a move insiders link to a high-profile controversy involving her interview with former US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
Patta’s firing came amid sweeping layoffs at CBS News that saw about 100 positions cut under the leadership of newly appointed network president Tom Cibrowski.
Fallout
However, according to a report in the New York Post, sources close to the veteran correspondent claim her termination was not purely financial, but connected to fallout from her August 2025 interview with Huckabee, during which the former Arkansas governor accused CBS News of selectively editing his remarks about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Huckabee publicly criticised the network shortly after the segment aired, alleging that his statements were “heavily edited” to misrepresent his position on the ongoing conflict.
“Ever wonder how the media edits an interview to give you a different story than the one they had?” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), sharing what he said was the unedited version of the interview.
The incident sparked heated debate on social media and within media circles about editorial bias and Middle East coverage.
Legal advisors
Sources cited by the New York Post suggest Debora Patta had only recently signed a new three-year contract with CBS News but was not offered full severance after her dismissal.
She has since begun consulting with legal advisers to explore potential claims, reportedly over concerns her Middle East reporting played a role in the decision to end her employment.
The controversy comes as CBS News undergoes significant editorial and personnel changes.
New editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, known for her outspoken pro-Israel stance, is said to have influenced recent staffing decisions – including Patta’s removal and the closure of CBS’s Johannesburg bureau, where Patta was based.
Neither Patta nor CBS News has commented publicly on the reports.
Background
Debora Patta, 61, is an award-winning journalist who joined CBS News in 2013 after decades of reporting for South Africa’s eNCA.
She has covered major global stories, including conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and humanitarian crises across Africa.
