developing· Culture· Updated 14:09

Channel 13 Suspends Host Eyal Berkovich Amid Racism Row

Channel 13 immediately suspended television presenter Eyal Berkovich on Sunday following controversial remarks made on his show, "Moriah and Berko," where he questioned the academic credentials of MK Ahmad Tibi and American politician Abdul El-Sayed.

6 newsrooms · 2 languages · since 13:31

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What happened

01Channel 13 immediately suspended television presenter Eyal Berkovich on Sunday following controversial remarks on his live broadcast.
02During Saturday's show, Berkovich questioned the academic credentials of MK Ahmad Tibi and American politician Abdul El-Sayed.
03The suspension followed a clarification meeting between Berkovich and Channel 13 management on Sunday.
04Channel 13 stated that freedom of expression is valued but does not justify racist remarks that contradict company values.
05The incident follows a previous clash where Berkovich told journalist Lucy Aharish to calm down because she was not in a village.
06Aharish demanded an apology and refused to appear on air after Berkovich and co-host Moriah Asraf were accused of racism.
07Berkovich rejected claims that his statements were racist but acknowledged his wording to Aharish might have been incorrect.

During a live broadcast on Saturday, reporter Suliman Maswadeh referred to El-Sayed, a Michigan politician, as a doctor. Berkovich interrupted to question the title, and despite co-host Moriah Asraf clarifying that El-Sayed held an academic degree, Berkovich cast doubt on Tibi's medical degree as well, stating that Tibi should show his certificate.

The suspension followed a clarification meeting between Berkovich and Channel 13 management. The network released a statement emphasizing that while freedom of expression is a cornerstone of free journalism, it does not justify racist remarks, and declared that Berkovich's statements did not align with the company's values.

This incident follows a prior controversy days earlier involving journalist Lucy Aharish. After Aharish accused Berkovich and Asraf of being racists, Berkovich told her to calm down because she was not in a village. Aharish subsequently demanded an apology and refused to appear on air, and while Berkovich regretted his wording, he did not apologize.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated 14:11