Amid the mounds of coverage generated by this week’s government report stating definitively that Israel did not kill Muhammad al-Dura in 2000, CNN’s headline and video stand out.
The headline, “Did Israel lie about child’s death?” sets the tone. But the kicker comes midway through the video, when we meet none other than cameraman Talal Abu Rahma, the one who shot the infamous footage of al-Dura and his father cowering behind a barrel broadcast by France 2 in 2000.
Turns out, he now works for CNN.
[sc:midsignup]Rahma has been at the center of allegations that the footage is less reliable than it appears to be. And the entire Israeli report, in essence, is an indictment of his work – and credibility.
So we have CNN presenting a biased headline for a story where the work of one of its own employees is – or should be – the main subject of discussion. But instead of putting Rahma under the microscope, CNN gives him a platform to claim innocence in the entire affair.
So the real question has to be – does CNN place the interests of its cameraman above the interests of its viewers who expect honest coverage?
In the meantime, check out HR’s video recapping the al-Dura story:
[sc:bottomsignup]
