J'Accuse

Cyclist passes by the flag of Israel, taped on a hydrant on the east end of the Pearl Street Mall, after a Sunday attack near the courthouse Monday, June 2, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Throughout the day, Monday, June 2, CNN ran the headline, “Dozens shot dead and injured near Gaza aid hub, health ministry and doctors say.” The story opened by accusing Israel of committing the massacres, citing “Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses,” before mentioning—almost as an afterthought—that Israel denied that its troops fired anywhere near the site. The article remained online and unedited even after the IDF released videos of Hamas terrorists gunning down Palestinian civilians waiting in line for food aid.

The New York Times report was even more damning. “Israeli Soldiers Open Fire Near Gaza Aid Site. Gaza Officials Say 27 Are Killed,” it claimed. Witnesses reported Israeli soldiers fired on people trying to collect aid and Israel denied it. Again, there was no correction after the IDF posted the incriminating videos.

I asked the most senior and knowledgeable sources in the IDF whether there was any truth to the media’s claims. The answer was an unequivocal “no.” Israeli troops never once opened fire on Palestinians seeking aid.

The media’s message is, simply, that Jews are an inherently bloodthirsty people who enjoy slaughtering innocent people. CNN and The Times both routinely quote the Gaza Health Authorities, though neither can identify who, outside of Hamas, those authorities might be. They regularly repeat the statistic that Israel has killed 54,000 Palestinians without noting the 22,000 terrorists killed by Israel or the estimated 8,000 Palestinians who, since 10/7/23, have died of natural causes, or the thousands of Palestinians killed by short-falling Hamas rockets or by Hamas executioners. Even if the 54,000 is accurate—and serious studies have shown that it is grossly distorted—deducting all those other numbers yields the lowest civilian to combatant fatality rate in modern military history.

Of course, every civilian death is a tragedy, but neither CNN nor The New York Times consider collateral damage an inevitable byproduct of war, especially one in which terrorists wear civilian clothes, employ child soldiers, and hide both behind and under civilians in hospitals, mosques, schools, and tunnels. Instead of a tragic byproduct, collateral damage is implicitly portrayed by mainstream outlets as the goal of Israel’s war.

When it comes to Israel, the mainstream media is not in the business of reporting reality. Their business, rather, is blood libel.

How macabre it was, then, to watch CNN’s coverage of the firebomb attack of mostly elderly Jews in Boulder, Colorado by a deranged antisemite shouting “end Zionists!” The reportage was brimming with sympathy for the victims, indignation, and outrage at the second violent attack against American Jews on U.S. soil in less than two weeks. “Such acts of blatant hatred simply must stop,” was the newsroom’s message.

Not once, not even obliquely, did the reporters and anchors pause to consider what role they and other self-declared middle-of-the-road journalists play in creating an atmosphere of Jew hatred. After all, if their audiences are being told hour after hour how Jews are blithely butchering women and children, why wouldn’t some of those viewers seek justice in shooting and incinerating some of those wicked Jews? Why wouldn’t Cody Balmer believe that by burning Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro and his family alive in their beds he could get Israel “to stop killing my friends?” Why wouldn’t Elias Rodriguez, the murderer of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky in Washington or Boulder’s would-be assassin Mohamed Sabry Soliman not assume that it’s open season on Jews?

Of course, not all the blame can be placed on CNN or The New York Times, but neither can they remain guiltless. When was the last time either of them held Hamas, rather than Israel, primarily responsible for Gaza’s suffering? When, if ever, did the mainstream media seriously consider the ramifications of Hamas declaring victory in this war, reasserting its rule over Gaza, plotting the next October 7, and providing a fillip to jihadists throughout the West?

One can only conclude that the media’s need to portray the Jews as coveters of innocent blood overrides their commitment to even the most basic journalistic norms. Their determination to demonize Israel—while lionizing the Palestinians—takes precedence over their responsibility to make the United States safe for the American Jews marching for the hostages’ freedom.