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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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US, Regional Diplomats Urge Respect for Minorities in Syria after Assad, Blinken Says
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a media conference after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at the Czernin Palace, in Prague, Czech Republic, May 31, 2024. Photo: Peter David Josek/Pool via REUTERS
Top diplomats from the United States, Turkey, the European Union and Arab nations have agreed that a new government in Syria should respect minority rights, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday following talks in Jordan and direct contacts with the rebels who ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
The meetings occurred as regional and global powers scramble for influence over whatever government replaces Assad, forced to flee a week ago.
Blinken said at a news conference that the group had agreed on a joint communique that also calls for an inclusive and representative government that respects the rights of minorities and does not offer “a base for terrorist groups.”
The joint statement also “affirmed the full support for Syria’s unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty,” a comment that appeared aimed at Israel, which has moved into Syria beyond a previously agreed buffer zone since Assad fell.
“Today’s agreement sends a unified message to the new interim authority and parties in Syria on the principles crucial to securing much needed support and recognition,” Blinken said.
Blinken also said US officials had now had “direct contact” with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and had urged them and other rebel groups to assist with locating US journalist Austin Tice, who was detained in Syria in 2012. The US has also shared with actors in Syria what it wants to see from the country’s transition, he added.
Syria’s neighbor Jordan was hosting Saturday’s gathering in Aqaba. Russia and Iran, who were Assad’s key supporters, were not invited.
Blinken, U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan and foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar met around a circular table at a Jordanian government guesthouse. There was no Syrian representative at the table.
The Arab diplomats earlier met separately and issued a statement calling for a peaceful and inclusive political transition that leads towards elections and a new constitution.
Arab diplomats attending the talks told Reuters they were seeking assurances from Turkey that it supported this, as well as preventing the partition of Syria on sectarian lines.
Turkey and the United States, both NATO members, have conflicting interests when it comes to some of the rebels. Turkish-backed rebels in northern Syria have clashed with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The SDF, which controls some of Syria’s largest oil fields, is the main ally in a US coalition against Islamic State militants. It is spearheaded by YPG militia, a group that Ankara sees as an extension of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought the Turkish state for 40 years and who it outlaws.
Blinken told Turkish officials during a visit to Ankara on Thursday and Friday that Islamic State must not be able to regroup, and the SDF must not be distracted from its role of securing camps holding IS fighters, according to a U.S. official. Turkish leaders agreed, the official with the U.S. delegation said.
Fidan told Turkish TV later on Friday that the elimination of the YPG was Turkey’s “strategic target” and urged the group’s commanders to leave Syria.
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Hezbollah Chief Says Group Lost its Supply Route Through Syria
Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem leads prayers during funeral of Hezbollah senior leader Ibrahim Aqil and Hezbollah member Mahmoud Hamad, who were killed in Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 22, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Hezbollah head Naim Qassem said on Saturday that the Lebanese armed group had lost its supply route through Syria, in his first comments since the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad nearly a week ago by a sweeping rebel offensive.
Under Assad, Iran-backed Hezbollah used Syria to bring in weapons and other military equipment from Iran, through Iraq and Syria and into Lebanon. But on Dec. 6, anti-Assad fighters seized the border with Iraq and cut off that route, and two days later, Islamist rebels captured the capital Damascus.
“Yes, Hezbollah has lost the military supply route through Syria at this stage, but this loss is a detail in the resistance’s work,” Qassem said in a televised speech on Saturday, without mentioning Assad by name.
“A new regime could come and this route could return to normal, and we could look for other ways,” he added.
Hezbollah started intervening in Syria in 2013 to help Assad fight rebels seeking to topple him at that time. Last week, as rebels approached Damascus, the group sent supervising officers to oversee a withdrawal of its fighters there.
More than 50 years of Assad family rule has now been replaced with a transitional caretaker government put in place by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a former al Qaeda affiliate that spearheaded the rebel offensive.
Qassem said Hezbollah “cannot judge these new forces until they stabilize” and “take clear positions,” but said he hoped that the Lebanese and Syrian peoples and governments could continue to cooperate.
“We also hope that this new ruling party will consider Israel an enemy and not normalize relations with it. These are the headlines that will affect the nature of the relationship between us and Syria,” Qassem said.
Hezbollah and Israel exchanged fire across Lebanon’s southern border for nearly a year in hostilities triggered by the Gaza war, before Israel went on the offensive in September, killing most of Hezbollah’s top leadership.
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Before His Ouster, Syria’s Assad Told Iran that Turkey Was Aiding Rebels to Unseat Him
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad attends the Arab League summit, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023. Photo: Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
In the final days leading to his ouster, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad complained to Iran’s foreign minister that Turkey was actively supporting Sunni rebels in their offensive to topple him, two Iranian officials told Reuters this week.
Five decades of rule by Assad’s family ended on Sunday when he fled to Moscow, where the government granted him asylum. Iran had backed Assad in Syria’s long civil war and his overthrow was widely seen as a major blow to the Iran-led “Axis of Resistance,” a political and military alliance that opposes Israeli and US influence in the Middle East.
As rebel forces from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly aligned to al Qaeda, seized major cities and advanced towards the capital, Assad met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Damascus on Dec. 2.
At the meeting, Assad voiced anger over what he said was Turkey’s intensified efforts to unseat him, according to a senior Iranian official. Araqchi assured Assad of Iran’s continued support and promised to raise the issue with Ankara, the official said.
The next day, Araqchi met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to express Tehran’s deep concerns over Ankara’s support for rebel advances.
“The meeting was tense. Iran expressed its unhappiness with Turkey’s alignment with US and Israeli agendas and conveyed Assad’s concerns,” a second Iranian official said, referring to Ankara’s support for rebels and cooperation with Western and Israeli interests in targeting Iran’s allies in the region.
Fidan, the official said, blamed Assad for the crisis, asserting that his failure to engage in genuine peace talks and his years of oppressive rule were the root causes of the conflict.
A Turkish foreign ministry source familiar with Fidan’s talks said that those were not the exact remarks by Fidan, and added that Araqchi did not bring and convey any messages from Assad to Turkey, without elaborating.
Fidan told reporters in Doha on Sunday that the Assad regime “had precious time” to address Syria’s existing problems, but did not, instead allowing “a slow decay and collapse of the regime.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Assad’s toppling was the result of a plan by the United States and Israel.
He said that one of Syria’s neighbors also had a role and continues to do so. He did not name the country, but appeared to be referring to Turkey.
NATO member Turkey, which controls swathes of land in northern Syria after several cross-border incursions against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, was a main backer of opposition groups aiming to topple Assad since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011.
Assad’s downfall stripped Iran and its ally the Lebanese group Hezbollah of a vital ally. Tehran’s ties to Damascus had allowed Iran to spread its influence through a land corridor from its western border via Iraq all the way to Lebanon to bring arms supplies to Hezbollah.
Iran spent billions of dollars propping up Assad during the war and deployed its Revolutionary Guards to Syria to keep its ally in power.
Hezbollah also played a major part, sending fighters to support him, but had to bring them back to Lebanon over the last year to fight in a bruising war with Israel – a redeployment that weakened Syrian government lines.
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