CBS News Staff Had ‘Concern’ Over ICE Agent Report in Leaked Emails
What To Know
- Leaked emails reveal significant internal concern at CBS News over publishing a report based on anonymous sources about injuries to the ICE agent involved in the Renee Nicole Good case.
- Several CBS staffers questioned the credibility and specificity of the “internal bleeding” claim, fearing the report might serve as a platform for the Trump administration’s narrative.
- CBS News defended its editorial process amid ongoing leadership changes and external criticism that the network is seeking to maintain access to government sources.
The CBS newsroom had an “huge internal concern” on its hands this week over a report from two anonymous sources about alleged injuries suffered by the ICE agent who killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis last week.
According to leaked emails viewed by The Guardian, there was significant concern among some CBS News staffers and producers. Some aired their worries about publishing claims from such thin sources, especially given the high political tension surrounding Good’s death.
The claims that the ICE agent, Jonathan Ross, “suffered internal bleeding to the torso,” were attributed to “two U.S. officials.” CBS published the account on X before later sharing a link to an article by two correspondents that also cited “two US officials briefed on his medical condition.”
However, before the article was published, several staffers shared their reservations. In one email, according to The Guardian, a medical producer suggested clarifying the extent of Ross’s injuries. “It would be helpful to ask what type of treatment he received,” he wrote.
CBS News senior vice-president David Reiter added, “I’m no doctor, but internal bleeding is a very broad term and can range in severity. A bruise is internal bleeding. But it can also be something serious. We do know that the ICE agent walked away from the incident – we have that on camera.”
The report also noted that CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, expressed “a high level of interest” in the story during a Wednesday morning editorial call.
“There was big internal dissension about the ‘internal bleeding’ report here last night,” an unnamed CBS News staffer told the outet. “It was viewed as a thinly-veiled, anonymous leak by [the Trump administration] to someone who’d carry it online.”
Another network staffer added, “Felt to many here like we were carrying water for the admin’s justifying of the shooting to keep our access to our source.”
Responding to the claims, a CBS News spokesperson told The Guardian that the network “went through its rigorous editorial process and decided it was reportable based on the reporting, the reporters, and the sourcing.”
CBS News has undergone several changes in recent months following the merger of its parent company, Paramount, with Skydance Media. In October 2025, Paramount CEO David Ellison hired Weiss as the new CBS News editor-in-chief. Weiss has since been putting her stamp on the network, including promoting Tony Dokoupil to CBS Evening News anchor.
Amid these changes, some viewers and critics have accused CBS News and its new owners of trying to appease the Trump administration.
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