CNN said it was cutting ties with a freelance producer Thursday after posts praising Hamas terrorism and expressing support for “#TeamHitler” were exposed, adding to a series of accusations relating to the network’s purported bias against the Jewish State.
Idris Mukhtar Ibrahim, who worked as a freelancer covering a range of international stories for CNN – including Israel - drew the attention of media watchdog group HonestReporting earlier this week.
On Nov 13, HonestReporting editor Akiva Van Koningsveld reported Ibrahim’s history of anti-Semitic rhetoric online, arguing that it “calls into question his ability to impartially report on the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
Screenshots alleged to be from Ibrahim's account show tweets from 2014 stating “shifted to team Germany after finding out that Messi supports Israel. #teamHitler." It is unclear if this remark may have been intended in jest. Another tweet praised Hamas as “modern-day freedom fighters” who are “defending their land" and “entitled to armed struggle.” Hamas is the U.S.-designated terror organization that governs the Gaza Strip.
Fox News reported that CNN claimed they were unaware of these instances. “Idris was employed as a freelancer by CNN. We were not aware of these tweets, which were published before we began working with him,” a CNN spokesperson said. “We have informed him that we will no longer be working with him in the future.”
Ibrahim apologized for the tweets on Friday, writing, “In 2014, I wrote some ignorant and hurtful tweets. I regret having done so and unreservedly apologize for the pain my words caused, especially to the Jewish Community. They were offensive and I must take responsibility. I was young, new to social media, and blurted out.”
Ibrahim began working for CNN International in 2015. His student biography page shows that he has worked closely with CNN correspondents such as Jim Acosta.