CNN recently faced criticism after a report about the rescue of a prisoner in Syria was found to be inaccurate. The report initially claimed that a civilian named Adel Gharbal was rescued from a secret prison in Damascus by CNN’s Clarissa Ward and her team.
However, further investigations revealed that the man in the video was actually Salama Mohammad Salama, a former Syrian intelligence officer. The report, aired on Thursday, showed the team uncovering the prisoner at a hidden facility. The man, who was shown cowering under a blanket, identified himself as a civilian. However, fact-checking by the Syrian platform Verify Sy revealed that Salama was a former lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence and had a notorious history in Homs. CNN later confirmed this after conducting its own internal review.
Salama, who had been detained for three months, was believed to have been arrested on extortion charges rather than for any political reasons.
Critics quickly pointed out inconsistencies in the report, including Salama’s well-maintained appearance, such as clean clothes and manicured nails, raising suspicions that the rescue might have been staged.
In response, CNN stated that it was unaware of Salama’s true identity and had been unable to contact him for clarification before the broadcast.
The incident has drawn widespread criticism of CNN for poor journalistic practices, with many calling for an apology for the misleading report.