CNN, the New York Times and Reuters are embroiled in a scandal after hiring a photo "journalist" who is a Hamas terrorist. As Matt covered earlier, CNN cut ties with Hassan Eslaiah Thursday after Honest Reporting exposed the connection.
Scoop: What were @AP, @Reuters, @CNN & @nytimes Gaza freelance photographers doing inside Israel on October 7? Coincidence or were they part of the plan? https://t.co/KcdXMd4DYF
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) November 8, 2023
CNN Cuts Ties to Pro-Hamas Photographer Seen Holding Grenades and Taking Selfies With Terrorists
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 9, 2023
https://t.co/RBWEP4LPli
In fact, Eslaiah not only colluded with Hamas, he took part in the slaughter of thousands of Israelis on October 7. Footage from his Facebook page shows him wielding a grenade on the back of a motorcycle.
The New York Times issued a statement about the situation Thursday afternoon, saying the outlet had no advanced knowledge of the attack or that Eslaiah was in on the initial assaults.
"The accusation that anyone at The New York Times had advance knowledge of the Hamas attacks or accompanied Hamas terrorists during the attacks is untrue and outrageous. It is reckless to make such allegations, putting our journalists on the ground in Israel and Gaza at risk. The Times has extensively covered the Oct. 7 attacks and the war with fairness, impartiality, and an abiding understanding of the complexities of the conflict.
"The advocacy group Honest Reporting has made vague allegations about several freelance photojournalists working in Gaza, including Yousef Masoud. Though Yousef was not working for The Times on the day of the attack, he has since done important work for us. There is no evidence for Honest Reporting’s insinuations. Our review of his work shows that he was doing what photojournalists always do during major news events, documenting the tragedy as it unfolded."
"We also want to speak in defense of freelance photojournalists working in conflict areas, whose jobs often require them to rush into danger to provide first-hand witness accounts and to document important news. This is the essential role of a free press in wartime. We are gravely concerned that unsupported accusations and threats to freelancers endangers them and undermines work that serves the public interest."
But the paper, notorious for vicious anti-Israel smears and promotion of terrorist propaganda, omitted a key point.
Notice what this statement does NOT say -- that NYT's photographer didn't have advanced notice of the Hamas attack. Quite an omission.
— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 9, 2023
It also says NYT, which ran headlines falsely accusing Israel of bombing a hospital, has covered the war "with fairness, impartiality." Lol. https://t.co/4Hq9VrLp5V
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have a different perspective.
Israel's internal security agency announced that they will eliminate all participants of the October 7 massacre.
— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) November 9, 2023
The "photojournalists" who took part in recording the assault will be added to that list.