Rogan Critiques CNN’s Framing of Terrorism Incident
Podcast host Joe Rogan recently took issue with a CNN post that characterized two individuals allegedly connected to ISIS as teenagers simply enjoying a warm day out in New York City.
CNN had posted on X, now deleted, that “Two Pennsylvania teenagers entered New York City on Saturday morning in unusually warm weather to enjoy the city as normal,” while also noting that their circumstances would drastically change if they were arrested for allegedly throwing a homemade bomb during an anti-Islam demonstration outside Mayor Zoran Mamdani’s home.
During a segment of the “Joe Rogan Experience,” Rogan expressed his confusion over the CNN article. “The way they presented it is quite bizarre,” he remarked before reading the now-removed post. He added that he was pleased he had saved a screenshot, saying, “I thought, ‘This is a crazy way to frame two guys who were about to commit a terrorist attack.’”
Rogan also mocked the tone of the article. “They make it sound like, ‘Two teenagers from Pennsylvania, just regular guys!’” he joked, adding that it’s puzzling to frame the situation that way. He remarked, “If they hadn’t planned to commit terrorism, it might have been a typical day.”
He voiced curiosity about who was responsible for the post and suggested that there might have been intent to downplay the seriousness of the events. “Are you trying to minimize the potential implications here?” he questioned, pointing out the presence of a Muslim mayor in New York, alongside ongoing terrorist threats.
CNN later issued a statement explaining their decision to remove the post. They admitted that it did not accurately reflect the seriousness of the situation and violated their editorial standards. “The post about the two people arrested for throwing a homemade bomb outside the home of New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani does not reflect the gravity of the incident and violates the editorial standards required of all reporting,” they noted.
The two suspects, Emil Barat and Ibrahim Qayumi, had been arrested for allegedly throwing an improvised explosive device during a protest outside Mamdani’s residence. Major news outlets like CNN, the New York Times, and NPR have linked the incident to “anti-Muslim” protests, even though it was purportedly perpetrated by anti-Islam demonstrators.
Moreover, CNN NewsNight host Abby Phillippe issued an apology on X for inaccurately stating that the attack had been aimed at Mamdani rather than the protesters.
