Palestinian American journalist Ibrahim Samra filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against CBS News Detroit and its parent company, Paramount, after being fired on Feb. 28.
The lawsuit alleges CBS fired Samra after he filed complaints about how the station treated him and went about covering Israel’s war on Gaza, Samra’s lawyer Amanda Ghannam said at a press conference at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center on Monday.
“They asked him if he supports Hamas, an offensive, inflammatory and blatantly racist accusation,” Ghannam said. “They rejected his pitches for stories about local community members affected by the war, calling his coverage biased and one sided, even though it was literally his assigned job to cover those stories… Mr. Samra, as the only Palestinian, Arab and Muslim reporter for the station, was the only one who received that pushback.”
Ghannam said CBS fired Samra less than two hours after he reiterated his concerns of being singled out and deprived of opportunities to cover stories because he was the only Arab and Palestinian employee. Ghannam said CBS Detroit deprived communities the opportunity to tell their stories.
“This case is about more than one person losing his job. It’s about all of the stories that may now never be told,” Ghannam said. “We know what happens when people are not allowed to speak for themselves and when minority voices are pushed out of participation in public life. The silencing of marginalized voices is what allows dehumanization to flourish. That is why we have federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination and retaliation in private employment…we believe his termination was unlawful.”
Ghannam said Samra is currently under a non-compete agreement and can’t work at other broadcast stations in the area for many months because of his CBS contract.
“They’ve gone further than just to shut this voice down at CBS,” Ghannam said. “They’ve silenced his voice from radio and broadcasting entirely, which I think is worth noting that these companies should not be allowed to impose these strict non-compete agreements on their employees, especially if they’re going to violate their contracts.”
At Monday’s press conference, Dearborn Heights City Council Chairman Mo Baydoun said though CBS fired Samra, he and the Arab community still have a voice on social media.
“We are not going to be silenced,” Baydoun said. “CBS News Detroit – my message to you is you guys lost, not the community, not Ibrahim… Whatever his story was, he did it with so much pride and dignity. And he did it with the name Ibrahim Samra.”
Michigan House of Representatives Majority Floor Leader Abraham Aiyash also spoke at the press conference. He said the story of “uncommitted” voters, Samra’s version of which CBS declined to air, is worth being told and will continue to be shared in other ways.
“We all know what the BS in CBS stands for,” Aiyash said. “I want everyone that is hearing this story to say we are not going to tolerate this type of behavior from our news outlets because if you are serious about sharing the stories and sharing the news, the news includes people that maybe look like me may not look like you. The news includes all the hopes and the horrors that are out there that we have to share.”
Two community members affected by Samra’s reporting spoke at the press conference. He’d completed a story about the one-year anniversary of the death of Jermaine Williams, a recent Edsel Ford High School graduate, but was fired before the story aired.
Joshua Williams, Jermaine’s little brother, said Samra’s reporting made him feel seen.
“Some days are harder than others, but when he (Samra) came to me and told me that my story was remarkable, that I had a story to tell and the world wants to hear it, that stuck with me,” Williams said. “He pulled out that camera to record me, and I felt like I was on top of the world.”
A few dozen community members as well as Samra’s family came to support him at the press conference. Williams said stories like his and Samra’s will not be forgotten, even if they won’t be aired on CBS News Detroit.
“Even though they fired him from the job, they didn’t fire his work. They didn’t fire him as a person,” Williams said. “Firing him didn’t hinder him at all because his work is still in this community. It will still be shared by people like myself, and I know everybody in this room will continue to make sure that his name lives on in his work.”
Ghannam said the jury will decide what the lawsuit seeks. Samra said this will not mark the end of his career.
“To anyone who feels they are being silenced, being censored – journalists out there deserve a voice whether they’re Palestinian, whether they’re Black voices, White voices,” Samra said. “Everyone deserves a voice, and I will continue to share that voice right here in Dearborn and in every single community I walk through.”
The Arab American News could not reach CBS News Detroit. On Sunday, a spokesperson for CBS Detroit told the Detroit Free Press, “We do not comment on pending litigation or employee matters.” On Monday, the Washington Post reported CBS News Detroit said it could not comment on personnel matters, but said “we strongly disagree with the characterization of these events and will address this more fully through the proper legal channels.”
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