Video of Arab Protester Confronting CNN Reporter Goes Viral: 'Puppet'

Video showing a pro-Palestinian protester call CNN reporter Clarissa Ward "a puppet" over the network's coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas has gone viral on social media.

On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest ever airstrikes on Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that his country is at war and cutting off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine to Gaza. The war marks a significant escalation in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

American media is facing renewed scrutiny over its coverage of the conflict, with supporters of the Palestinians making the case that much of the reporting has been too dismissive of their perspective on the matter.

Ward, CNN's chief international correspondent who has been reporting from Israel amid the conflict, was pressed about the network's coverage of it during a protest. Video of the confrontation has gone viral on social media, receiving hundreds of thousands of views on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.

In the video, a protester, who has not been publicly identified, is seen asking Ward if CNN is "covering" the pro-Palestinian point of view. The confrontation occurred during a protest at Rafah Crossing, the point connecting Egypt to the Gaza Strip.

"Where is your condemnation? Where is your channel covering this? Cover this. Say the truth. I understand you're an employee. You're just a puppet. You're just a mouthpiece. Come talk to me like a human being. Come talk to me like a human being," she said.

Ward then approaches the protester, who continued to voice her concerns about the media's coverage.

"I understand you speak for your government. I understand you represent your government. That being said, you are a country that claims free speech. Your 'democracy' is what led to Hamas. And now, we are watching an occupation. We are watching the results of your silence, of your misrepresentation," she said.

The protester told Ward that pro-Palestinian voices "need to be heard as well," accusing U.S. media of the "dehumanization of Arabs."

A spokesperson for CNN told Newsweek on Friday afternoon that Ward was "glad to have the chance to hear this woman's perspective, and allowing our audience to hear these voices was why we were reporting from the protests in the first place."

The spokesperson added that CNN has featured the voices of several Palestinians, including an interview with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Friday morning.

CNN's coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict has divided viewers, with some saying that it has been biased toward Israel. Others, however, have praised the network for what they view as balanced reporting on the matter.

Many on X voiced agreement with the protester's comments.

"This young Egyptian woman, confronts @cnn's @clarissaward and speaks for so many of us, expressing her frustration and rage as this main stream media outlets continue to pedal Israeli propaganda and obfuscate the reality of what is happening. This is ethnic cleansing in broad daylight in front of our eyes. This is a genocide. That is not an overstatement," posted X user @ASE.

"This brave Egyptian woman confronting CNN's Clarissa Ward, calling out mainstream media outlets for repeating Israeli lies, whitewashing Israeli crimes and dehumanizing Palestinians in Gaza," posted @sahouraxo.

Others, defended CNN's coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

On Friday, CNN ran headlines that highlighted concerns human rights advocates have had about Palestinians living in Gaza, including an article titled, "Gaza conditions worsen amid warnings that shortages could 'kill many, many people" and "See the devastation in Gaza after Israeli strikes."

"Seeing a lot of pro-Palestinian people talking about how bias CNN's coverage is in favor of Israel. I have no idea what they are talking about. CNN is cutting it down the middle. Just because CNN has sources that disagree with someone's preformulated views does not mean bias," posted X user Brian Bridgeforth.

Richard Grennell, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Germany and acting director of National Intelligence under former President Donald Trump, defended Ward against those criticisms.

"BS. Total BS. You blame America for the people of Gaza having a terrorist organization as a government?!? Lots of Arabs, Jews and Christians live together peacefully in Jerusalem. Americans are tired of paying for this perpetual chaos because your governments steal and terrorize. Fix your own government first. We have to protect our people," he posted.

Update 10/20/2023, 2:06 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from a CNN spokesperson.