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Despite Admitting Past Errors Championing Hamas Propaganda, CNN Continues to Do So
What does it say about the integrity and ethics of a news network that knows what it’s doing is both dishonest and harmful, yet keeps doing it anyway?
That’s the question one must ask of CNN, especially in light of recent reporting by the network.
CNN’s Al-Ahli Hospital Coverage
The first article is a mea culpa written by the network’s Oliver Darcy and published on October 18, 2023 after the network botched coverage of the infamous incident at Al-Ahli Hospital.
After an explosion in the vicinity of the hospital, media outlets quickly accepted the Hamas claim that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bombed the hospital and that some 500 Gazans were killed.
As it turned out, none of this was true. The rocket was actually fired by Palestinian terrorists, and killed far less people.
The media outlets had simply amplified Hamas’ propaganda without making any real effort to verify or caution viewers about the lack of credibility of the source. The false narrative given life by media outlets like CNN led to serious diplomatic consequences and riots spread to cities around the world.
Entitled “News outlets in fog of war amid dueling claims on Gaza hospital blast,” Darcy’s mea culpa acknowledged this to some extent. “Reports on serious matters involving civilian deaths carry enormous weight, often resulting in immediate consequences,” the reporter wrote.
“[I]t is of paramount importance for news organizations to remain in a heightened state of vigilance,” he continued, seemingly acknowledging that the network too easily accepted Hamas’s propaganda.
A School for the Displaced, or a School for Terrorism?
This brings us to two recent articles published this month.
One, titled “At least 90 Palestinians killed in Israeli school strike, Gaza officials say,” was authored by CNN’s Irene Nasser, Abeer Salman, Ibrahim Dahman, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Lex Harvey, and Allegra Goodwin.
As with the Al-Ahli Hospital incident, the journalists rushed to repeat the unverified, histrionic, but devoid of detail, claims of officials in the Hamas-run territory.
This time, the Hamas story was that the IDF bombed Al-Taba’een School in Gaza City, allegedly housing displaced Palestinians, killing “at least 90 people.” The article was quickly updated to include a quote from Fares Afana, director of ambulance and emergency in northern Gaza, stating that “All of these people who were targeted were civilians, unarmed children, the elderly, men and women.”
Once again, the network failed to warn its audience about the many reasons to treat these claims with great caution. And, just as with the Ahli Hospital incident, emerging information would end up casting serious doubt on key aspects of the Hamas claims.
Later that day, the IDF provided the names, affiliations, ranks, and pictures of 19 terrorists it said were killed in the strike.
The Israeli military also stated it used three “precision munitions” and provided video footage and imagery showing the scene of the strike, stating the munitions used “could not have caused the damage that corresponds to the casualty reports of the government media office in Gaza.”
This level of detail, provided early enough in the news cycle, gave substantial credibility to the IDF’s side of the story, as it would have enabled any journalist interested in finding the truth to dive deeper in search of evidence to support or contradict the claims.
And as time went on, even more details emerged supporting the IDF’s side of the story.
The military would subsequently state that there was “high probability” that a top Islamic Jihad commander, Ashraf Juda, was also killed in the strike on Al-Taba’een School. Two days later, the IDF would again follow up and provide the details of another 12 terrorists killed in the strike. That brought the total to 31 terrorists (with a high probability of 32 once Ashraf Juda’s death is confirmed) the IDF has specifically identified as having been killed in the strike.
That is, there is far more reason to believe that the story here is of a terrorist organization yet again engaging in human shielding by using schools for military purposes instead of the one advanced by CNN — that the IDF bombed a school serving purely as a shelter for the displaced.
And so, despite Darcy’s October 2023 mea culpa, the network is still failing, in August 2024, to “remain in a heightened state of vigilance.”
Once again, its journalists demonstrate a disturbing proclivity and enthusiasm for giving undeserved credence to the words of genocidal terrorists.
Sinwar the Peacenik?
So it is, also, with the third article, headlined “Hamas leader Sinwar wants a ceasefire deal, mediators say, but Netanyahu’s stance unclear,” authored by Jeremy Diamond.
Diamond weaves a narrative that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, wants a ceasefire deal whereas it is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that is preventing one.
“Nobody knows what Bibi wants,” the article tells us, but “Sinwar wants a ceasefire deal,” the headline proclaims.
Diamond purports to pass on the words of “Egyptian and Qatari mediators,” but any self-respecting journalist should know not to just blindly accept the words of officials who are far from disinterested. Moreover, Diamond preserves the narrative by omitting the piles of evidence that fly in the face of those claims.
Portraying Sinwar as ever the humanitarian seeking an end to the bloodshed, Diamond carefully keeps from his readers Sinwar’s history. The arch-terrorist is widely considered to be the architect of the October 7 atrocities, in which well over a thousand Israelis were murdered, raped, tortured, mutilated, and kidnapped. He is the man who openly bragged over text messages that civilian deaths in Gaza are “necessary sacrifices” and that “[w]e have the Israelis right where we want them.”
It is also widely known, including by CNN itself, that lower level Hamas commanders had been begging Sinwar for months to accept a ceasefire deal, to no avail.
And as with the first two articles, CNN’s narrative is blatantly false, and not just because of the long record of Hamas rejecting ceasefire deals that had Israeli and worldwide support.
Embarrassingly for Diamond, on the same day his apologia for Sinwar was published, Sinwar’s terrorist organization itself upended his entire story by rejecting the invitation of the US, Qatar, and Egypt to attend a final round of negotiations for a ceasefire deal. Netanyahu, notably, had agreed to send negotiators to the talks.
Once again, a CNN journalist finds himself having breathlessly advanced what was clearly false Hamas propaganda.
Consequences for Israel Can’t Be Walked Back
In Darcy’s October mea culpa, the reporter sought to excuse CNN’s failures by depicting them as a consequence of the “fog of war.” But the issue wasn’t that CNN couldn’t be expected to know the precise details; it’s that CNN journalists threw caution to the wind and took the word of terrorists. “Fog of war” means journalists should treat information coming out with great skepticism and carefulness, which is precisely the opposite of what the network did in that instance.
Yet even if we accept Darcy’s excuse, that was ten months ago; professionals should learn from their mistakes.
Instead, CNN reporters are once again negatively, and unjustifiably, affecting the course of events by repeating the exact same errors. The inaccurate coverage of the weekend strike led to numerous diplomatic condemnations of Israel for what increasingly looks like a completely legitimate strike on internationally designated terrorists who were themselves violating the laws of armed conflict. The public relations touch-up for Sinwar, the genocidal terrorist, means diplomatic and public pressure will be placed exactly where it isn’t needed instead of on Hamas, the party holding up a deal to release the Israeli hostages his organization took during its horrific attack last October.
After acknowledging the importance of remaining “in a heightened state of vigilance,” Darcy’s October article continued: “Failing to do so runs the risk of confusing and actively misinforming the public, with warring factions retreating even deeper into their respective corners, pointing fingers at one another, with civilians caught in the middle.”
Clearly, CNN understands that bad journalism not only does a disservice to its audience, but it also puts innocent civilians in danger. So, what are we to make of the fact that these reporters are knowingly repeating the same mistakes?
David M. Litman is a Research Analyst at the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA).
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Northwestern University Touts Progress on Addressing Campus Antisemitism Amid Federal Scrutiny
Signs cover the fence at a pro-Palestinian encampment at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. on April 28, 2024. Photo: Max Herman via Reuters Connect.
Northwestern University on Monday touted its progress in addressing the campus antisemitism crisis, issuing a statement containing a checklist of policies it has enacted since being censured by federal lawmakers over its handling of pro-Hamas demonstrations which convulsed its campus during the 2023-2024 academic year.
“The university administration took this criticism to heart and spent much of last summer revising our rules and policies to make our university safe for all of our students, regardless of their religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, or political viewpoint,” the statement said. “Among the updated policies is our Demonstration Policy, which includes new requirements and guidance on how, when, and where members of the community may protest or otherwise engage in expressive activity.”
The university added that it has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, a reference tool which aids officials in determining what constitutes antisemitism, and begun holding “mandatory antisemitism training” sessions which “all students, faculty, and staff” must attend.
“This included a live training for all new students in September and a 17-minute training module for all enrolled students, produced in collaboration with the Jewish United Fund,” it continued. “Antisemitism trainings will continue as a permanent part of our broader training in civil rights and Title IX.”
Other initiatives rolled out by the university include an Advisory Council to the President on Jewish Life, dinners for Jewish students hosted by administrative officials, and educational events which raise awareness of rising antisemitism in the US and across the world. Additionally, Northwestern said that it imposed disciplinary sanctions against several students and one staff member whose conduct violated the new “Demonstration and/or Display Policies” which regulate peaceful assembly on the campus.
“In closing, although Northwestern has made significant progress in the fight against antisemitism on campus, the university remains vigilant and will continue to do what is necessary to make our campus safe,” the statement concluded. “Importantly, the fight against antisemitism is NOT [sic] a zero-sum game. All members of our communities on campus — all religions, races, national origins, genders, sexual orientations, and political viewpoints — deserve to feel safe and know that our rules will be enforced to protect them against hate, discrimination, harassment, and intimidation. Northwestern is committed to this principle.”
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, Northwestern University struggled for months to correct an impression that it coddled pro-Hamas protesters and acceded to their demands for a boycott of Israel in exchange for an end to their May 2024 encampment.
University president Schill denied during a US congressional hearing held that year that he had capitulated to any demand that fostered a hostile environment, but his critics noted that part of the deal to end the encampment stipulated his establishing a scholarship for Palestinian undergraduates, contacting potential employers of students who caused recent campus disruptions to insist on their being hired, creating a segregated dormitory hall that will be occupied exclusively by students of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) and Muslim descent, and forming a new advisory committee in which anti-Zionists students and faculty may wield an outsized voice.
The status of those concessions, which a law firm representing the civil rights advocacy group StandWithUs described as “outrageous” in July 2024, were not disclosed in Monday’s statement.
Northwestern University is not the only school creating distance between itself and the anti-Zionist movement, a step many colleges have taken in response to US President Donald Trump’s vowing to cut the flow of taxpayer funds supplementing their budgets should they refuse to crackdown down on illegal protests and antisemitism. Following the Trump administration’s cancelling of over $400 million in federals contracts and grants awarded to Columbia University, former interim president Katrina Armstrong proposed a list of reforms the school would agree to undertake — in areas ranging from undergraduate admissions to campus security — to restore the funds.
Armstrong later resigned from her position, saying in a statement which explained the decision that she wishes to return to her role as executive director of the university’s Irving Medical Center, as well as several other positions she holds.
Meanwhile, Harvard University recently fired a librarian whom someone filmed ripping posters of the Bibas children, two babies murdered in captivity by Hamas, off a kiosk in Harvard Yard and denounced him as “hateful.” Additionally, it paused a partnership with a higher education institution located in the West Bank, a move for which prominent members of the Harvard community and federal lawmakers had clamored in a series of public statements. The Trump administration initiated a review of $9 billion in taxpayer funds it receives anyway, prompting interim president Alan Garber to defend Harvard’s handling of the issue.
“For the past fifteen months, we have devoted considerable effort to addressing antisemitism,” Garber said. “We have strengthened our rules and our approach to disciplining those who violate them. We have enhanced training and education on antisemitism across our campus and introduced measures to support our Jewish community and ensure student safety and security.”
Northwestern University is in the Trump administration’s crosshairs too. It is one of 60 universities being investigated by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights over its handling of campus antisemitism, a project that will serve as an early test of the administration’s ability to perform the essential functions of the agency after downsizing its workforce to increase its efficiency.
“The department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite US campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in March. “US colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by US taxpayers. That support is a privilege, and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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Pressure Mounts on UN Members to Block Reappointment of Controversial Anti-Israel Official
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, attends a side event during the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 26, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
The United Nations is facing growing pressure to block the reappointment of Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who has an extensive history of using her role to denigrate Israel and seemingly rationalize the terrorist group Hamas’s attacks against the Jewish state.
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is set to reappoint Albanese for another three-year term on Friday, despite calls from several countries and NGOs urging UN members to oppose her reappointment due to her controversial remarks and alleged pro-Hamas stance.
Since taking on the role of UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories in 2022, Albanese has been at the center of controversy due to what critics, including US and European lawmakers, have described as antisemitic and anti-Israel public remarks.
In the months following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, atrocities, across southern Israel, Albanese accused Israel of perpetrating a “genocide” against the Palestinian people in revenge for the attacks and circulated a widely derided and heavily disputed report alleging that 186,000 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli actions.
She has also previously made comments about a “Jewish lobby” controlling America and Europe, compared Israel to Nazi Germany, and stated that Hamas’s violence against Israelis — including rape, murder, and kidnapping — needs to be “put in context.”
Last year, the United Nations launched a probe into Albanese for allegedly accepting a trip to Australia funded by pro-Hamas organizations.
In the past, she has also celebrated the anti-Israel protesters rampaging across US college campuses, saying they represent a “revolution” and that they give her “hope.”
On Monday, US Rep. Brian Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to the president of the UNHRC, Ambassador Jürg Lauber, to express his strong opposition to Albanese’s reappointment.
In the letter, Mast claimed that Albanese has failed to act “in an independent capacity with a professional, impartial assessment, and maintain the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.”
“Ms. Albanese unapologetically uses her position as a UN special rapporteur to purvey and attempt to legitimize antisemitic tropes, while serving as a Hamas apologist,” the letter read.
“In her malicious fixation, she has even called for Israel to be removed from the United Nations while likening Israel to apartheid South Africa,” Mast wrote in a letter signed by six fellow lawmakers. “Regrettably, Ms. Albanese’s rhetoric has perverted the very institution and its foundational principles in which she was appointed to serve.”
Governments worldwide, including France, the UK, Germany, Canada, and the Netherlands, have condemned her statements as antisemitic and urged that she not be given another term in her role.
Last month, 42 members of the French Parliament publicly urged the government to oppose Albanese’s reappointment, arguing that it “would send a regrettable signal to victims, human rights defenders, and states committed to credible multilateralism.”
This week, British Labour Member of Parliament David Taylor also objected to Albanese’s reappointment, saying “there is no place for such alleged antisemitism on the international stage.”
“Albanese’s response to the largest antisemitic massacre of the 21st century was to describe it as ‘a response to Israel’s oppression,’” Taylor told the Jewish Chronicle. “She described Israel as being a ‘settler colonial conquest.’”
“Making statements of this nature in a UN capacity is abhorrent and does so much damage to communities already torn apart by horrific violence, going against everything the United Nations stands for,” Taylor said.
Human rights groups and NGOs have also campaigned to prevent the anti-Israel rapporteur from receiving a second term.
UN Watch, a Geneva-based NGO, has organized a petition against her reappointment, which has garnered over 83,000 signatures.
Last month, Maram Stern, executive vice president of the World Jewish Congress, sent a letter to the president of the UNHRC urging him to reject the renewal of Albanese’s mandate, citing what she described as the UN official’s history of anti-Israel animus and antisemitic statements.
“Ms. Albanese has repeatedly made public remarks that propagate harmful antisemitic tropes, question the legitimacy of the State of Israel, and employ rhetoric that undermines the credibility of the Human Rights Council itself,” the letter read. “Her persistent lack of objectivity and failure to uphold a balanced and impartial approach required of her as special rapporteur compromises her credibility as an independent expert.”
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) also urged UN Members to reject Albanese’s second term, saying she “has systematically demonstrated a troubling pattern of conduct and expression that is incompatible with the responsibilities, neutrality, and integrity expected of a UN special rapporteur.”
“Her actions not only betray the victims of terrorism and antisemitism but also are a stain on the credibility of the Human Rights Council itself,” the AJC wrote in a letter.
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Three Jewish Coaches Lead Teams in NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four
Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden and Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl talk before the game as Auburn Tigers take on Florida Gators at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters Connect
The men’s 2025 NCAA Tournament Final Four bracket includes four No. 1 seed teams, three of which have Jewish coaches who will lead the way in the two national semifinals taking place on Saturday.
Auburn University Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl has contributed Auburn’s success in the NCAA in part to God and his Jewish faith. He described Israel as the “ancestral homeland for the Jewish people” and called for the release of American-Israeli Edan Alexander from Hamas captivity at a post-game conference last month. He also took the Auburn team on a trip to Israel, where they made stops at the Western Wall and Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
The Tigers will compete on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament Final Four against the Florida Gators whose Jewish coach, Todd Golden, is an Israeli citizen who previously played two years professionally for Maccabi Haifa in Israel.
In 2009, Golden was co-captain of the USA Open Team, coached by Pearl, that won gold at the Maccabiah Games, which is an international multi-sport event for Jewish and Israeli athletes. Golden has been the coach of the Tigers for two seasons, but prior to that he was the assistant coach at Columbia, the head coach at San Francisco, and even worked under Pearl. Golden was director of basketball operations for the Auburn staff for the 2014-15 season and was promoted to assistant coach for the 2015-16 campaign.
Duke and Houston also play each other on Saturday in the Final Four. The head coach of the Duke Blue Devils, Jon Scheyer, also formerly played in Israel and holds Israeli citizenship. He played professionally for Maccabi Tel Aviv from 2011-12. In October 2023, not long after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Scheyer commented on the conflict and said in part: “My heart breaks for the people in Israel — that have hostages, American lives that are taken, mourning loved ones.” Scheyer is leading Duke to the Final Four in only his third year as head coach.
The Houston Cougars – the fourth men’s team competing in the Final Four – do not have a Jewish coach, but they have a player who was born in Israel and played for Israel’s national youth squad. Guard Emanuel Sharp, who is the son of Derrick Sharp, was part of Israel’s under-16 national basketball team and also played for Maccabi Tel Aviv for over a decade.
This year’s Final Four have a combined record of 135-16. Since seeding began in 1979, this is only the second time in history that all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It previously happened in 2008. Larry Brown was the last Jewish coach to win the NCAA Tournament when he led Kansas to the victory in 1988.
The 2025 NCAA Tournament Final Four begins on Saturday, with two national semifinals taking place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, and ends on Monday with the national championship.
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