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CNN employees criticise Gaza coverage in leaked recording

'Embarrassed and disgraced': CNN employees criticise channel's Gaza coverage in leaked recording
MENA
2 min read
03 March, 2024
A leaked audio has revealed a confrontation which took place between CNN employees and network executives during a meeting in London over the war in Gaza.
CNN has been criticised for what Palestinians have said is bias news coverage since the start of the war [Getty]

Employees at CNN have expressed their discontent with the channel’s coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza during a meeting with network executives, a leaked recording obtained by The Intercept has revealed.

The employees confronted a panel of executives during the meeting at CNN’s London Bureau on 13 February, berating the seniors and telling them they felt "devalued, embarrassed, and disgraced" by the channel's coverage of the war.

Among the staffers who criticised CNN was renowned news anchor Christiane Amanpour, who according to The Intercept, was identified in the recording after someone said her name.

CNN correspondents have been confronted in and outside Gaza for what Palestinians say is biased news coverage in Israel’s favour.

This, the employees said during the February meeting according to the leaked recording, was creating a "hostile climate for Arab reporters".

The executives tried to reassure staffers and told them their concerns were being heard, but still defended CNN’s work, the recording revealed.

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Last month, a report by The Guardian said unnamed CNN staff members had accused the broadcaster of biased reporting on the war.

Six journalists from CNN newsrooms in the US and elsewhere had blamed the outlet's new management and editorial process for pro-Israel narratives that have led to "journalistic malpractice," the report said.

Israel’s unprecedented bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed over 30,400 people, mostly women and children health authorities in Gaza say.