CNN Quietly Cut Disputed Israeli Military Claim From Some Video Reports

Source: HuffPost

CNN Quietly Cut Disputed Israeli Military Claim From Some Video Reports

Controversial claims by a military spokesperson were cut, without an editor’s note, from versions on CNN’s website, YouTube channel and some on-air reports.

By Matt Shuham
Nov 15, 2023, 07:59 PM EST

After Israeli armed forces shut down a children’s hospital in Gaza last week, a spokesperson for the country’s military gave a tour to members of the international press, taking time to show them something that he argued was evidence of Israel’s claim that the hospital in the Palestinian enclave may have been used to hold hostages taken by Hamas in an Oct. 7 attack: a calendar.

In an Israeli government video, Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, called it “a guarding list where every terrorist writes his name and every terrorist has his own shift guarding the people that were here.” Hamas denied the claim, and skeptics pointed out that the document was simply a list of dates and days of the week since Oct. 7 under the title “Al Aqsa Flood Battle,” Hamas’ name for the attack, along with the Oct. 7, 2023, date. It included no names ― of “guards” or anyone else.

Eventually, Israel backtracked somewhat: A spokesperson acknowledged a translation error in Hagari’s statement and, notably, said that video of his remark distributed to media outlets had been corrected, with the specific reference to the document deleted.

In the United States, at least one news outlet has made similar changes but without any editor’s note or other acknowledgment of the change or the dispute over the initial video.

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Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cnn-video-report-nic-robertson-israel-military-al-rantisi-hospital_n_6554dc3ce4b0e47670125cf7