CNN Star Forced To Apologize for False Reporting

There have been many incidents of violence between Israel and Palestine, and tensions remain high. Children were among the innocents killed on both sides of the fight in 2023. A mother and her two young girls were killed in April during an outbreak of violence. A prominent CNN anchor felt compelled to issue an apology after reports surfaced that she downplaying the way they were killed.

An Apology

Christiane Amanpour broadcast an on-air apology on May 22 for an earlier story. She said that on April 10, while discussing the killings of three Israelis, she “misspoke.” When asked about the fate of Lucy, Rina, and Maia Dee, she claimed at the time that they had been killed in a “shootout.”

The truth, she said, was that the mother and her girls had been killed by terrorists. According to her letter, she felt compelled to write to the grieving husband and father to “apologize and make sure that he knows” she is sorry for “any further pain” she may have caused.

Those comments were delivered by Amanpour during an interview with Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. Observers of media bias against Israel called out the CNN International reporter for her comments, with the organization Honest Reporting pointing out that “A shootout is two sides firing at each other” and demanding an apology.

Palestinian militants opened fire on a vehicle carrying Lucy, Rina, and Maia. The daughters were pronounced dead at the spot, but the mother lasted three days until she too succumbed to her injuries. The day before Lucy passed away, thousands of mourners gathered to pay their final goodbyes to Maia, age 20, and Rina, age 15. All of the women were dual Israeli-British citizens who had settled close to the south of Jerusalem in 2014.

No, Thanks

Rabbi Leo Dee addressed Amanpour’s apologies in a recent interview. He rejected it, calling it “[t]oo little, too late.” After the reporter inaccurately described the circumstances surrounding the deaths of his wife and children, he vowed to sue CNN. After the car carrying his wife and daughters was shot at by the terrorists, he decided to turn back and return to safety with the rest of his family. He watched as rescue workers attempted a miracle.

Dee said that CNN was “morally equivalencies between [Israelis] and between terrorists.” He said that they keep doing it and he has no reason to believe they would ever stop.

During a raid in early May, Israeli forces executed the Palestinians who were accused of murdering Dee’s wife and kids. During the search, the troops discovered three assault rifles inside the house. Whether or whether they were employed in the shooting is unknown.