Tipsheet

'Charismatic and Shrewd': Here's How the AP Memorialized Terrorist Leader

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  September 27, 2024 10:30 PM

On Friday, Israel reportedly took out Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Just earlier that day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given a speech at the United Nations, where he called out the agency's anti-Israel bias. "I have another message for this assembly and for the world outside this hall: We are winning," he also declared as part of his speech. Despite all of the barbaric actions that Nasrallah is responsible for, the Associated Press thought he was a figure worth memorializing in a special kind of way.

"Charismatic and shrewd: A look at longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah," read a Friday headline from Bassem Mroue that the Associated Press thought was appropriate to publish. Hours later, the headline reads the same, though archived versions are available. 

It does not appear that the AP has posted such a headline from their X account, though the ratio would likely be swift and merciless if they did. 

Not only did the article continue to refer to the now reportedly terrorist as "charismatic and shrewd," but Nasrallah was referred to as "fiery" several times throughout the article as well. 

As one section, "Who is Hassan Nasrallah" reads:

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Under the leadership of the 64-year-old Nasrallah, Hezbollah has fought wars against Israel and taken part in the conflict in neighboring Syria, helping tip the balance of power in favor of President Bashar Assad.

A charismatic and shrewd strategist, Nasrallah reshaped Hezbollah into an archenemy of Israel, cementing alliances with Shiite religious leaders in Iran and Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas.

Idolized by his Lebanese Shiite followers and respected by millions of others across the Arab and Islamic world, Nasrallah holds the title of sayyid, an honorific meant to signify the Shiite cleric’s lineage dating back to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

A fiery orator viewed as an extremist in the U.S. and much of the West, he is also considered a pragmatist compared to the firebrand militants who dominated Hezbollah after its founding in 1982, during Lebanon’s civil war.

Despite the power he wields, Nasrallah has lived largely in hiding in the past years for fear of an Israeli assassination.

Not mentioned in that section or anywhere else in this fawning eulogy, is how under Nasrallah's leadership, Hezbollah rockets targeted the Israeli Druze Arab village of Majdal Shams at the end of July, resulting in children being killed as they played soccer. 

It's not mentioned until several paragraphs down that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. The immediately following paragraph also uses anti-Israel language:

Five years later, the United States designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization [in 1997].

Under Nasrallah, Hezbollah was credited with leading the war of attrition that led to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon in 2000, after an 18-year occupation. Nasrallah’s eldest son, Hadi, was killed in 1997, fighting against Israeli forces.

As shocking as such a headline and article might be, it is worth reminding that the AP not only has an anti-Israeli bias, but was one of the outlets reportedly embedded with Hamas terrorists as part of the October 7 attack against Israel. 

While terrorists are memorialized for being "charismatic and shrewd," the AP reserves insults for former U.S. senators who have passed away and dare to be critical of climate alarmism.

Many have shared screenshots to highlight how the AP memorializes a terrorist leader, with the AGHamilton29 account pointing out how the late Sen. Jim Inhofe was remembered for being a "defense hawk" and one who dared to call "human-caused climate change a 'hoax.'" That July 9 headline is still up on the site. 

In recent weeks, Israel has also been taking out Hezbollah terrorists through exploding pagers and walkie-talkies, a move that has been commemorated and celebrated with memes, though nevertheless opposed by Israel's enemies, including members of the Squad and the United Nations.