CNN is facing criticism from some of its own journalists over its coverage of the Israel-Gaza war, which they say has been influenced by pro-Israel views and pressure from the network’s top management.
According to a report by the Guardian, several CNN staffers in different newsrooms have expressed their dissatisfaction with the editorial policies that have resulted in “a regurgitation of Israeli propaganda and the censoring of Palestinian perspectives” in the network’s reporting of the war.
The report cites internal memos and emails that reveal strict guidelines on coverage, such as limiting the use of Hamas sources and requiring every story on the conflict to be approved by the Jerusalem bureau before publication or broadcast. The report also claims that CNN’s new editor in chief and CEO, Mark Thompson, who took over the post two days after the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, has set the tone of the coverage to favor the Israeli narrative of the war as a "hunt for Hamas and its tunnels".
Some CNN journalists have described the network’s coverage as “journalistic malpractice” and “reminiscent of the cheerleading that followed 9/11”. They have also raised concerns about Thompson’s previous record as the BBC’s director general, where he was accused of bowing to Israeli government pressure on several occasions, including removing a prominent correspondent from Jerusalem in 2005.
CNN has not responded to the Guardian’s report, but has defended its coverage of the war as fair and balanced in the past. The network has also faced protests from pro-Palestinian activists outside its headquarters in Atlanta and other cities, accusing it of being biased and complicit in Israel’s war crimes.
