CNN, NBC, USA TodayIt has faced fierce backlash over a misleading and “vile” headline about the brutal killing of six hostages by Hamas in Gaza..
On Sunday, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said Announced According to information provided by the hostages rescued last week, they were brutally killed by Hamas as Israeli forces closed in on their location.
The six hostages whose bodies were found Found Two bodies were found in an underground tunnel in Gaza on Saturday, including Israeli Hirsch Goldberg Pollin, whose body was found in Rafah by Vice President Kamala Harris. said Israel is banned from entering.
But the mainstream media CNN, NBCand USA TodayTelevision stations reporting the recovery of the bodies initially reported that one of the victims had “died” rather than “been murdered,” sparking outrage.
The cause of the hostages' deaths was unclear for about 90 minutes after it was first revealed that Hersh Goldberg-Polin was one of the victims, which may have led some media to hesitate to use the word “murder.” Currently, mainstream media headlines reflect Israeli official reports that the hostages were killed. But on Sunday, screenshots of the original headline continued to spark outrage after reports emerged that Hamas terrorists had shot all six hostages in the head before Israeli forces rescued them.
Critics on social media, including politicians and journalists, were outraged at the description, which they said grossly downplayed the brutality of the killings.
“It's pathetic that CNN is reporting the Hamas hostages as if they died of old age. They were murdered,” wrote former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R).
“Hersh was not 'found dead,'” speechwriter Aviva Klompas wrote. “He was a living, young man on October 7th. Terrorists kidnapped him and blew off his arm before holding him hostage for more than 300 days.”
“Hersh was murdered. He was murdered,” she added. “Shame on the media for not making that clear.”
“This is real life. This is a CNN headline about Hamas executing American hostages,” wrote conservative commentator Stephen L. Miller.
“Dead? He was badly injured, taken hostage and murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7th,” wrote Australian commentator and columnist Rita Panahi.
“Journalism is 'dead,'” wrote one popular X account. “Hirsh was kidnapped from a music festival, had his arm blown off, and was held hostage by the psychopathic Hamas scum terrorists you've been raving about for 11 months, before being shot in the head and killed.”
“Murdered. Kidnapped. Held hostage. Tortured. Murdered. By Hamas. A terrorist organization. Do your job properly,” the journalist wrote. Eve Barlow.
“When Gazans die, the media goes out of their way to report them as if they were all civilians killed deliberately (even if they were Hamas terrorists),” writes investigative journalist David Collier. “When Hamas deliberately killed six innocent Israeli hostages, much of the media reported them as if they had died in an accident.”
“Think about it,” he added.
“The foreign media has portrayed the six hostages as if they had suddenly been found dead in Gaza… as if they had simply died of old age or a serious illness,” wrote journalist Yousef Haddad.
“They were murdered in cold blood by Hamas!!! They were helpless civilians executed after 11 months of torture and endless suffering in a 20-metre underground tunnel!!!” he added. “Please do not distort reality or downplay what happened to them.”
“no, @USATODAY“Hersh isn't just dead. He was murdered. By Hamas terrorists,” wrote media watchdog Honest Reporting.
“when From CNN “Whenever someone is 'died,' it's usually due to old age or cancer,” wrote media contributor Joel Petrin. “Hersh was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by Hamas, and CNN can't even bother to report honestly about it.”
“I don't understand why they cleaned up the headline here, but CNN deserves scorn for doing so,” he added.
“CNN's false reporting of the death of Hersh Goldberg-Polin is a despicable act of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel hatred,” wrote the Israel Heritage Foundation (IHF), which was founded by Holocaust survivors to strengthen Israeli sovereignty and combat anti-Semitism. “This deliberate lie reveals a callous disregard for Jewish life and perpetuates the same prejudice that led to his brutal murder.”
“CNN must apologize to Jewish communities around the world and take responsibility for this hate speech,” the group added. “Silence is complicity.”
Some of the headlines have since been corrected, but the damage was already done. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both Affirmed The hostages were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter. Joshua Klein.
