ALBAWABA- CNN acknowledged that it was misled during its coverage of a prisoner release in Syria, which aired last week.
The network's cameras captured the moment a man was reportedly freed from a Syrian prison, but later investigation revealed discrepancies in his identity.
In the report, filmed on Wednesday, CNN’s Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward was seen accompanied by a guard from the opposition forces. Together, they discovered a man detained in a prison cell, who appeared disoriented and forgotten.
The man, initially identified as Adel Ghribal, claimed to be a civilian who had been imprisoned and interrogated by Syrian intelligence for three months. He appeared emotional upon being told he was free and that the Assad regime had supposedly fallen.
The report quickly went viral on social media, hailed as a symbol of new freedom for Syrians after decades of authoritarian rule. However, skepticism arose about the man’s calm demeanor and his appearance when stepping into daylight for the first time in months.
On Monday, CNN clarified that the man’s real identity is Salama Mohammad Salama, a former lieutenant in Assad’s Air Force Intelligence Directorate. The network verified his identity using facial recognition software and photographs.
While Salama had indeed been imprisoned, CNN admitted it is unclear how or why he ended up in the Damascus prison. Attempts to reconnect with him have been unsuccessful.
The Syrian fact-checking organization Verify-Sy confirmed CNN's findings, identifying the man as Salama Mohammad Salama.
A spokesperson for CNN emphasized that no one, including their team, knew in advance that the prison visit would take place that day. They added that the decision to release the man was made solely by the opposition guard present at the scene, not by CNN.
Following his release, teams from the Syrian Red Crescent were seen assisting Salama, who appeared shaken. The organization later stated on X that the man had been found “without identification” and was “reunited with a relative” in Damascus.
The incident has sparked debate over Clarissa Ward’s conduct and the report’s accuracy. While Ward’s trip to Damascus was reportedly linked to the search for missing American journalist Austin Tice, critics noted the unexplained emptiness of the prison and the inconsistent behavior of the man in question, casting doubt on the authenticity of the encounter.
Verify-Sy raised pointed questions: "Did CNN intentionally mislead its audience to rehabilitate the image of an Assad officer, or was it genuinely misled? If the latter, how did such an error occur, particularly when Syrians have worked for years to uncover crimes the world overlooked?"
