Veteran CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour confronted execs about Israeli influence in Gaza war coverage

The CNN headquarters on September 5, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

• Renowned CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour reportedly challenged the company’s Israel-Gaza coverage.
• The Intercept obtained a recording of an internal meeting with reporters and CNN executives
• Many news organizations are facing criticism and complaints that they favor Israel’s point of view.

CNN international news correspondent Christiane Amanpour confronted executives about the network’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza war, according to a report.

During an internal meeting at the company’s bureau in London, CNN employees, Amanpour among them, pushed network executives on the Israeli influence in the company’s coverage of the war, according to The Intercept, which obtained a recording of the February 13 meeting.

The company’s coverage in the region relies on SecondEyes, its bureau in Jerusalem, The Intercept reported. Amanpour implied the bureau filtered coverage of the war, per the recording.

“You’ve heard from me, you’ve heard my, you know, real distress with SecondEyes — changing copy, double standards, and all the rest,” Amanpour said in the meeting, according to The Intercept. “So you’ve heard it, and I hear what your response is, and I hope it does go a long way.”

A CNN press representative for Amanpour did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment, nor did a communications spokesperson for CNN.

Executives in the meeting assured employees that they were listening to their complaints while standing by the company’s coverage, the Intercept reported. Among the present leadership was chief executive and chairman Mark Thompson, executive vice president Mike McCarthy, and executive editor Virginia Moseley, according to The Intercept’s report.

CNN, like many news organizations, has heard complaints over its coverage of the war in Gaza. Critics say coverage has favored a pro-Israel point of view, even as the reported Palestinian death toll in Gaza reached tragic heights.