How CBS News Fears the Truth: My Experience with Commenting and Censorship
I’m not a politician, not an activist, not involved in the conflict. I’m neither Palestinian nor Jewish. I’m just a person who got interested in the topic, studied the material, read reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, and the United Nations. And one day I decided to speak up — just in the comment section on YouTube, under a video by CBS News.
The video was about Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, who is facing deportation. I left a comment stating publicly known facts — that Israel is accused of apartheid, that Palestinian rights are being systematically violated, and that this has been documented by leading international human rights organizations.
I posted dozens of comments under the video, mostly in response to open mockery and insults from other users. I calmly and precisely pointed out the apartheid, the blockade, and the ongoing crimes — citing international sources and reports. These were carefully worded, respectful messages. The reaction was swift: I started receiving threats — vague suggestions that I would be “stopped” — and mockery, like the phrase: “Cry to Jill Stein. Hope Netanyahu’s dreams come true.” That’s not a debate. That’s an attempt to intimidate — because they have no arguments.
Soon the purge began. First, the comments that merely mentioned the word “apartheid” disappeared. Then those with links to Amnesty, B’Tselem, and the UN. But most rapidly, the ones where I explicitly stated that those who defend these actions are complicit in a crime were removed almost instantly.
The desktop version of YouTube still showed my words. The mobile app did not. That’s what’s called a shadowban: you can see your comment — but no one else can. Once I started using direct language, the bans became immediate and systematic.
Meanwhile, comments like “bye bye Mr. Palestine”, “send him to a crap hole”, or “he can file from Gaza” — open racism, xenophobia, humiliation — stayed up without issue. They weren’t flagged. No one touched them.
That’s when I realized: this isn’t a glitch. It’s a system. A choice. And it’s made quietly — as if no one will notice. But I noticed.
I sent official feedback to CBS. I messaged them on Facebook. I asked a simple question: why are facts backed by UN and Amnesty reports being erased, while hate speech stays untouched? There was no response.
And now I’m recording this. So it’s visible. So it’s remembered. So no one can later say: “We didn’t know.”
Because if a country that claims to be free deletes fact-based comments — that’s not freedom. That’s fear of truth.
I wasn’t planning to start a fight. I just woke up one morning and replied to some comments. But it turned out that after my words — came silence. Not a single person tried to argue. Instead, everything I said was simply erased.