Christiane Amanpour Expresses 'Real Distress' to CNN Execs About 'Double Standards' on Israel Coverage
Christiane Amanpour confronts CNN execs over coverage of Israel's war in Gaza.
March 1 2024, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Christiane Amanpour and other CNN employees confronted the network's top brass about "double standards" in coverage of Israel's war in Gaza, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Employees met at the network's London Bureau for an hour-long meeting that was said to be centered on what staffers considered leadership failures in the coverage and a hostile environment for Arab journalists.
Amanpour expressed concern over CNN's protocol during the all-hands meeting.
According to a leaked transcript obtained by The Intercept, staffers took turns questioning network executives in the all-hands meeting.
CNN employees sought clarification on protocols for covering the war in Gaza. Several junior and senior-level staffers described feeling embarrassed, devalued, and disgraced by the network's reporting on the war.
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Amanpour cited incidents of 'changing copy' and 'double standards' in coverage filtered though the network's Jerusalem bureau.
CNN Worldwide CEO and Editor-in-Chief Mark Thompson, the U.S. Executive Editor Virginia Moseley, and the network's International General Manager Mike McCarthy were all present at the meeting.
All three assured staffers that their concerns were heard, but also defended the network's choice of coverage while citing obstacles to gaining press access into Gaza.
Amanpour asked about CNN's ongoing protocol of routing coverage related to Israel and Palestine through its Jerusalem bureau.
CNN execs defended their process and blamed obstacles of reporting from inside Gaza.
While the bureau has existed for years, it went through an expansion and rebrand as SecondEyes in the summer of 2023. SecondEyes coverage often slows down reporting on Gaza and filters stories from journalists operating under Israel's military censor.
"You’ve heard from me, you’ve heard my, you know, real distress with SecondEyes — changing copy, double standards, and all the rest," Amanpour told executives. "So you’ve heard it, and I hear what your response is and I hope it does go a long way."
Staffers raised concerns over an alleged hostile climate at the network for Arab journalists.
Another staffer cited the process' damage to CNN's reputation in the area, telling executives, "I was in southern Lebanon during October and November. And it was more distressing for me to turn on CNN, than the bombs falling nearby."
CNN spokesperson Jonathan Hawkins declined to comment about the meeting. He referred to a previous statement, which described the filtered process as an attempt to bring "more expert eyes" to the coverage.
"I would add to this that the staff members on this group include Arab staff based outside Israel, and have done since the group was established," Hawkins told the outlet.
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CNN and other Western outlets have faced backlash on coverage of Israel's war in Gaza since the Hamas attacks on October 7.
This week, CNN described an event in which 100 starving Palestinians in Gaza were massacred by Israeli snipers while gathering at a humanitarian aid drop as a "chaotic event."
Other complaints on coverage included minimizing Palestinian suffering while disproportionately highlighting Israeli narratives.
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