CNN Obscures Palestinian Attacker’s Identity, Again
Yet again, CNN obscures the identity of another Palestinian attacker. Yesterday evening, Bashar Masalha, a 22-year-old Palestinian from the northern West Bank, went on a stabbing spree in the mixed Arab-Jewish city of Jaffa, killing Taylor Force, and wounding several more. As of this writing, CNN’s headline about the attack is: “American fatally stabbed in Israel terror attack that wounds 10 others.”
The headline, in passive voice, fails to identify who stabbed the American, a key piece of information about the incident which was readily available. According to the time stamp, the post was last updated at 6:38 am GMT today. Some 12 hours before then, Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld had already confirmed that the attacker was Palestinian.
In addition, the accompanying article buries the essential bit of information — who carried out the attack — in the 17th paragraph. The relatively few readers who make it that far learn:
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tweeted that the attacker, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was fatally shot by police.
Then, incredibly, several paragraphs later, CNN explains that Israeli authorities blame Palestinians for a spate of terror attacks, as if it isn’t actually certain that Palestinians are responsible for the spate of terror attacks.
Finally, it should be noted, that in an earlier version of the article, the word terrorist appeared in scare quotes. (Screen capture is below.) Likewise, the original headline also referred to Taylor Force’s killer as a “terrorist,” with the qualifying quotes.
More from SNAPSHOTS
American Lutheran In Jerusalem Affirms that IDF Soldiers Are “Stormtroopers,” Backtracks
December 19, 2018
Rev. Carrie Ballenger Smith is a pastor at the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. She ministers to the English-speaking congregation that meets at the Lutheran church, which is located in the Old City of [...]
The Washington Post Ignores Antisemitic Attack in Los Angeles
November 29, 2018
The Washington Post has warned about a “rising tide of antisemitism.” But as CAMERA has highlighted, The Post’s coverage of antisemitism has frequently been selective and is often politicized. More recently, the newspaper even ignored [...]
Think Tank: Iran Was Closer to Building a Bomb Than Previously Thought
November 23, 2018
A Nov. 20, 2018 report by a Washington D.C.-based think tank, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) argues that Iran’s illegal nuclear weapons program was “more advanced than Western intelligence agencies and the [...]
AFP Headline Casts Palestinian Assailant as Victim
November 21, 2018
Agence France Presse yesterday published a throwback headline, bringing us back to the period almost two years ago in which media outlets serially produced headlines which depicted Palestinian attackers as the victims. The wire agency's [...]
More Hypocrisy and Anti-Semitism From Linda Sarsour
November 19, 2018
In an earlier CAMERA exposé, we pointed out the self-serving allegiances and disgraceful hypocrisy of Linda Sarsour (of Women's March fame). We demonstrated how she poses as a universal activist who embraces all marginalized people [...]
Small Steps: Improved NY Times Language on Target of Hamas Rockets
November 15, 2018
Earlier this week, we pointed out how a New York Times article about fighting between Israel and Hamas neglected to inform readers that Palestinian rockets were fired indiscriminately toward civilians in Israeli towns and cities. [...]
AP Avoids Calling Farrakhan Comments “Anti-Semitic”
November 9, 2018
For some mysterious reason, the Associated Press felt Louis Farrakhan's mutterings on international relations deserve close attention. "Louis Farrakhan, in Iran, warns Trump a Mideast war possible," a Associated Press headline announced, as if the [...]