Former CBS Detroit journalist sues the company 

By TMO STAFF

A Palestinian-American Journalist recently filed a lawsuit in March against Paramount and CBS News Detroit. Ibrahim Samra was fired on February, 28, 2024, after his alleged complaints to how the station was covering the Gaza-Israel conflict overseas.

According to the lawsuit, Samra was fired after filing complaints about his treatment and the station’s direction for the international war. Samra’s lawyer Amanda Ghannam said he was fired less than two hours after issuing a complaint.  Ghannam says previous racist conversations asking Samra if he supported Hamas due to his cultural background were thrown at him.

Samra is the only Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab TV Reporter at the station. Samra is currently under a non-compete agreement with the TV station which means he can’t work in the same network of broadcast stations for a number of months.

 “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 his assigned job to cover those stories,” Ghannam said. “This case is about more than one person losing his job. It’s about all of the stories that may now never be told. 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.”

Samra told several community members of the harassment in a public news conference with city officials, state representatives, and lawyers present.

“We believe his termination was unlawful,” Ghannam said.

Samra told news outlets that he will not let this determine the future of his career. The lawsuit is currently pending. At this time, CBS News Detroit will not comment on pending litigation.

“Everyone deserves a voice,” Samra said. “And, I will continue to share that voice right here in Dearborn and in every single community I walk through.”