Last Sunday, my friend and colleague Hana Levi Julian, like hundreds of other news folks around the globe, reported on the IDF Spokesman’s revelation of the biggest Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip, about 2.5 miles long and as big as any NY City subway (WATCH: How Hamas Built its ‘Gaza Metro’ Terror Tunnels).
One news outlet stood out in its “skeptical” treatment of the IDF’s announcement: CNN told its website readers, “IDF claims it has discovered ‘biggest Hamas tunnel’ in Gaza.”
Who writes these headlines @CNN?
Subconsciously conveys don’t trust Israel, terrorist group Hamas is equally credible.
Nothing alleged about this tunnel, unless the implication is @midjourney created the photo.
If the goal was simply to attribute factually, remain neutral… pic.twitter.com/GlGwWPj6Py
— Matt Higgins (@mhiggins) December 18, 2023
The CNN editors included, right below the headline, the IDF video showing the stunning magnitude of the tunnel, which means that CNN did not doubt the existence of this tunnel, and they did not question its size. What they chose to depict as “alleged” was the IDF’s assertion that it had been built by Hamas.
Renowned chess champion Garry Kasparov was very upset, and tweeted: “’Alleged Hamas tunnel Israel claims to have found’? Really? Is it possible it’s not really a tunnel? That it was built by aliens? That Israel didn’t find it?”
“Alleged Hamas tunnel Israel claims to have found”? Really, @CNN? Is it possible it’s not really a tunnel? That is was built by aliens? That Israel didn’t find it?
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) December 18, 2023
The World Chess Champion from 1985 to 2000 continued in subsequent tweets:
“There has to be a balance where the news media can cite a source without independent confirmation but while also recognizing obvious facts instead of casting doubt. I think it’s an overreaction to falling for the Hamas hospital hoax, although most still cite Hamas propaganda. But ‘alleged Hamas tunnel’ is absurd. I would be interested in estimates of how much it cost, where the materials came from, how much funding from the UN & EU.”
Kasparov added: “And then there was the intrepid NY Times reporter and bureau chief in Shifa Hospital shortly after weapons and a tunnel shaft were discovered there. ‘So what,’ said he in a pod interview, recounting his conversation with an IDF representative. ‘A tunnel shaft. What does that prove?’”
The clumsy and stupid headline was not the fault of CNN reporter Benjamin Brown. Check his report: he treats the IDF announcement seriously. The only paragraph where he uses the cautious verb “to claim” says: “The IDF claims to have exposed ‘hundreds of terror tunnel shafts throughout the Gaza Strip’ and says it is operating ‘to locate and destroy dozens of attack tunnel routes.’”
But Brown immediately follows the above paragraph with, “Hamas has claimed to have built 500 kilometers (311 miles) worth of tunnels under Gaza, though it is unclear if that figure was accurate.”
