Watchdog of the Week: Adrian Needlestone Spots CNN Bias

The death of Ariel Sharon prompted countless articles and many hours of television news coverage. It's times like these when…

By January 16, 2014

The death of Ariel Sharon prompted countless articles and many hours of television news coverage. It’s times like these when the thousands of extra eyes of HonestReporting subscribers can be invaluable.

Adrian Needlestone was watching CNN on January 12 from the UK and was appalled by what he saw. Adrian alerted HonestReporting with the exact details of the program and the time that it was broadcast allowing us to locate it and view it for ourselves.

We were also appalled at the CNN report that lacked any context and implied that Ariel Sharon had carried out the Sabra and Shatila massacres. This resulted in a post on our Backspin blog.

For taking action that led directly to exposing CNN, we’ve awarded Adrian Needlestone this week’s Watchdog of the Week award. Adrian informs us that he:

spent 25 years working as a journalist mostly as a reporter on a variety of Fleet Street papers but also enjoyed spells on BBC radio and Sky TV when it was first launched in the UK.  A brief period working in Florida for the infamous National Enquirer was an exhilarating but surreal experience . Now I mostly sit and watch the world go by and shake my head in amazement as Editors in their 20’s pop up at the helm of some of the UK’s most prestigious titles. Craft and experience seem to have been trumped by university degrees and fiercely held opinions that can only be accounted for by the certainties that are the prerogative of youth.

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© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025

Simon Plosker

Simon Plosker

With over two decades of experience in various non-governmental organizations in the UK and Israel, Simon Plosker returned to HonestReporting in October 2022 as Editorial Director having previously been part of the organization’s management team from 2005 to 2020.

Prior to his first spell at HonestReporting, Simon worked in Israel for NGO Monitor, BICOM, and served for a short period in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. He was Managing Editor of the Geneva-based NGO United Nations Watch for two years before moving back to the frontline defending Israel from media bias.

Simon has a BSoc.Sc in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Birmingham and an MSc in History of International Relations from the London School of Economics. He immigrated to Israel in 2001 from London.

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