Two journalists working for CNN and covering the current Israel-Hamas war posted a string of disturbing antisemitic and anti-Israel comments on their social media accounts, HonestReporting can reveal.
Richard Harlow, a British cameraman who is based in Beirut, has posted to his social media accounts several vile pieces of content relating to the current conflict, including one that falsely accuses the Jewish state of murdering Palestinians and stealing their organs in what has been described as a modern-day blood libel.
In other comments online, Harlow denied Hamas has any presence in the West Bank but accused the IDF of “killing” people there anyway.
Hamas not only operates numerous cells across the West Bank but also commands widespread support among Palestinians in the territory.
In another post, Harlow complained that “people are still talking about decapitated babies but no one’s talking about the Palestinian babies that HAVE been murdered BY the Israelis.”
Harlow recently told friends online that he had been tasked with editing images and footage taken by a local Gazan stringer to be used by CNN. At a time when images and footage from Gaza should be under greater scrutiny, Harlow is in a position where he is responsible for potentially sensitive content that is seen by millions.
In addition, Harlow’s byline has appeared on several other pieces relating to Israel.
‘Supporting the Zionist Entity is the Greatest Insult’
Another CNN producer based in Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Abdelbary, also has a history of posting anti-Israel hate messages online.
Abdelbary joined the network in 2021 as part of the CNN Academy and was later hired as an associate producer for ‘Connect the World With Becky Anderson’ while also contributing to the Abu Dhabi bureau’s ‘Meanwhile in the Middle East’ newsletter.
Congratulations to Mohammed Abdelbary, Dana Abdulrahman, and Tasmiyah Randeree, graduates of our first CNN Academy in Abu Dhabi, who are doing great work supporting our Expo coverage in Dubai.https://t.co/Kg4TLABhHb
— Becky Anderson (@BeckyCNN) October 8, 2021
Around the time that Abdelbary was accepted into the CNN Academy, he was also using the social media network Twitter (now X) to complain about the “Zionist entity” in language that is most frequently used by the Iranian regime and denies the legitimacy of the Israeli state.
In the same tweet, he accused Israel of forcibly sterilizing Ethiopian Jewish women — an incendiary charge that was proven false and saw numerous leading news organizations retract or modify the original libelous claim.
Other comments on Abdelbary’s profile that date back to 2014 — the year Hamas sparked another war with Israel by firing rocket barrages from the Strip — include “fuck Israel” and his wish that the Jewish state gets “crushed by the Palestinians.”
Yet, Abdelbary’s obvious bias toward Israel has not prevented him from being tasked with reporting extensively on the Israel-Hamas war, including a lead byline on a piece just 13 days after the Hamas attack that included claims Israel is committing war crimes in its immediate response to the terrorist atrocity.
He has also contributed to numerous newsletters focused on the Israel-Hamas war that are sent to CNN subscribers.
A CNN spokesperson responded to HonestReporting: “We were not aware of these posts and take what has been reported very seriously. We are now investigating the matter.”
Hours after we reached out to CNN, Abdelbary deleted his tweet in which he uses the phrase “Zionist entity” — a specific post that we flagged to CNN.
CNN’s reportage on the Israel-Hamas war has been uneven and the outlet has caught flak on several occasions for skewed and misleading pieces. This is in stark contrast to the network’s laudable and important coverage of October 7’s victims by journalists including Jake Tapper, Bianna Golodryga, and Dana Bash, who have highlighted Hamas’ rapes and the plight of Israeli hostages and their families.
But employing journalists who have a history of posting antisemitic and anti-Israel comments online and then giving them the responsibility for reporting accurately and fairly on Israel is unacceptable — and CNN should know this.
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