News/Commentary

CNN faces another round of backlash after it stealth edits headline about Jewish man’s death

November 17, 2023 | | Print Article

CNN keeps forgetting that the internet is forever, thanks to the Wayback Machine and the watchful eyes of social media.

On Thursday, the outlet reported that an arrest had been made in the death of 69-year-old Paul Kessler, a Jewish man who attended a pro-Israel rally in Thousand Oaks, California.

As BizPac Review reported, Kessler was later found lying on the ground in a pool of blood at the intersection of Westlake Blvd. and Thousand Oaks Blvd. Some witnesses said he was hit over the head with a megaphone by a pro-Palestinian protester.

He was taken to the hospital where he later died of his injuries.

“An autopsy was performed on November 6th and the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be blunt force head injury and the manner of death homicide,” the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release. “The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident and has not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.”

Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, 50, was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, Fox News Digital reports. “Investigators with the department allege that Alnaji caused Kessler, a 69-year-old pro-Israel protester, to knock his head onto the concrete when he fell, which resulted in brain hemorrhaging that led to his death hours later in the hospital.”

With its characteristic disdain for journalistic integrity, CNN ran with this headline: “Arrest made in death of Jewish protester who fell and hit his head.”

The backlash was immediate.


Hours after publishing the story, CNN quietly changed the headline to read, “Arrest made in death of Jewish protester in California after confrontation over Israel-Hamas war.”

Melissa Fine
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