A Reuters video journalist in the West Bank shared terrorist propaganda on October 7 and spread antisemitic content referring to “the ZioNazi Israeli occupation,” a survey of his X (formerly Twitter) account revealed.
Hamuda Hassan also shared pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli posts about “genocide” in Gaza and “the injustice in Palestine.”
The reposts by Hassan, who has been working for Reuters for over three decades, raise serious questions regarding his journalistic objectivity and Reuters’ standards, considering many of his colleagues in the major wire service are listed as followers of his account on the social media platform.
On October 7, during the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel, Hassan reposted a picture showing an Islamic Jihad terrorist posing with an elderly Israeli woman who shows the victory sign while holding an AK-47. The post caption refers to her as a prisoner of war (POW), not a hostage:
Sharing such an evil piece of propaganda, clearly aimed at humiliating a helpless civilian, cannot be justified journalistically. Rather than posting a breaking news update, Hassan chose to repost content that glorified the terrorists’ “victory” and legitimized hostage-taking.
A month later, Hassan reposted content referring to “the ZioNazi Israeli occupation”:
According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis is antisemitic.
Spreading such poisonous terminology is as dangerous as penning it.
But Hassan seems to have no qualms about using his account as a political platform.
Last February, in an apparent reference to the war in Gaza, he reposted a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli graphic whose caption read in English: “We’re not supposed to be okay when we’re watching live a genocide on our phones 24/7”:
As a journalist, Hassan should have known better. A month earlier, the International Court of Justice did *not* decide that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza could plausibly be considered genocide. But presumably, such an accusation makes sense to someone who sees Israel as equivalent to the Nazi regime.
Other reposts by Hassan expose his pro-Palestinian activist agenda. In July 2023, he reposted an image of a fist bearing the colors of the Palestinian flag emerging from the slogan “Free Palastine [sic].” The post caption read: “Who is with me?”
And several weeks earlier he reposted a photo of a demonstrator holding a sign reading in English “Stop ignoring the injustice in Palestine.” The post caption read: “Pass it on!”
Related Reading: Systemic Bias? Top Reuters Editors Share Disturbing Content Online
According to Reuters’ database, Ramallah-based Hassan is involved in producing multimedia news from the entire region, including Gaza and Lebanon.
So his impact on the company’s Mideast coverage cannot be underestimated.
The unavoidable question is: can someone who openly shares terrorist propaganda, spreads antisemitic content, and promotes pro-Palestinian activism, separate his odious views from his journalism and report on Israel in an objective manner? And how can he even look into the eyes of his Israeli-Jewish colleagues after spreading such offensive content?
Reuters, with its strict code of ethics and “Trust Principles,” prides itself on “integrity, independence and freedom from bias.”
But trust cannot be granted to a news outlet that employs someone who openly violates it.
Because if Hassan’s bosses knew about his unacceptable social media activity and ignored it — they are also at fault.
If they didn’t know — what other malign influences in their Mideast coverage are they unaware of?
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