News/Commentary

CNN sees swift backlash after saying rescued Israeli hostages were ‘released’

June 9, 2024 | | Print Article

A costly Israeli hostage rescue was given the propagandist treatment, sparking swift backlash against the media: “The corporate press is the enemy of the people.”

(Video: CNN)

Taken amid the brutal savagery of the October 7 terror attacks and held hostage for eight months by Hamas, 21-year-old Almog Meir Jan, 25-year-old Noa Argamani, 27-year-old Andrey Kozlov and 40-year-old Shlomi Ziv were rescued as part of an operation that cost the life of Israel Commander Arnon Zamora.

Despite reports from CNN detailing the special operation Saturday in a central Gaza refugee camp, an on-air “editorial choice” to refer to the rescue as a “release” was made prompting outrage.

As Eurasia Group founder Ian Bremmer joined “CNN Newsroom” Saturday, anchor Victor Blackwell was updating on Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz and an expected statement on his departure due to disagreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decisions in dealing with the terrorists.

A slip up from Blackwell referring to the recent rescue as a release was only exacerbated by the chyron that read, “GANTZ POSTPONES NEWS CONFERENCE AFTER HOSTAGE RELEASE.”

Reactions to the depiction of the mission included messages of “disgust” and reminders “You can’t hate the media enough,” as the non-partisan organization decried, “Come on @CNN — the four hostages were RESCUED not released.”

BlazeTV host Dave Rubin piggybacked off their post with a quote attributed to commentator Michael Malice, “The corporate press is the enemy of the people.”

Likewise, Boundless non-profit co-founder Aviva Klompas critiqued, “CNN says the hostages were ‘released’ … No @CNN they were rescued after 245 days in the hands of terrorists.”

The Spectator contributing editor Stephen L. Miller added, “An entire industry of media watchdogs will throw a hissy fit over a Washington Post statement. Not a single person who appears on CNN will admonish this. Not a single person paid by this network. This is an editorial choice by CNN. They did this on purpose for a reason. Now ask why.”

Even Bremmer chided the decision that juxtaposed his face with the real-time revisionism as he wrote on X, “disappointed to see @CNN chyron of hostage ‘release’ during my interview today when hamas did no such thing. anchor quickly corrected on air, but this sort of mistake (repeated by un officials and others today) is maddening.”

The messaging from the corporate media outlet aligned with the efforts of President Joe Biden’s administration to push a three-phase ceasefire deal through that would seemingly reward Hamas for the atrocities of Oct. 7 by funneling American taxpayer dollars into Gaza to help rebuild after Israel endeavored to wipe out the organization.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had deployed similar linguistic games as his statement on the rescue pivoted immediately toward the proposal. “The United States is supporting all efforts to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas, including American citizens. This includes through ongoing negotiations or other means.”

“The hostage release and ceasefire deal that is now on the table would secure the release of all the remaining hostages together with security assurances for Israel and relief for the innocent civilians in Gaza,” contended Sullivan who went on to conclude after listing countries supporting the deal, “They all must be released — now.”

Kevin Haggerty
Latest posts by Kevin Haggerty (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles