CNN deletes ‘tone deaf’ post about accused ISIS-inspired attackers in NYC
CNN has deleted a social media post that it says “failed to reflect the gravity” of an allegedly ISIS-inspired attack in New York City.
The alleged bombing attempt took place Saturday at a protest staged in front of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Two men, Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, could be seen in videos dropping what was later described as an improvised explosive device at the feet of police and throwing another at anti-Muslim protesters.
The protest, called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City,” organized by white supremacist Jake Lang, drew roughly 20 people, according to police and videos of the event.
Balat and Kayumi admitted to police that the attack was inspired by the terrorist group ISIS, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Monday.
They face charges of attempted provision of material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, use of a weapon of mass destruction and three counts related to the possession and transportation of explosive material.
CNN’s Tuesday post to X led off with “Two Pennsylvania teenagers crossed into New York City Saturday morning for what could’ve been a normal day enjoying the city.”
“But in less than an hour,” the post read, “their lives would drastically change” after their arrests.
The post linked to a CNN story that took a straightforward approach to reporting the pair’s arrests, the protest and counterprotest and the potential devastation the explosive devices could have caused.
In a statement, CNN later said the post “failed to reflect the gravity of the incident, thereby breaching the editorial standards we require for all our reporting. It has therefore been deleted.”
Screen capture of the now-deleted social media post
The fallout
Reaction to the seemingly sympathetic framing of a terrorist-inspired attack came swiftly.
Many criticized the description as “tone deaf” and said it was an example of media bias. Others used the post to resurrect an on-screen caption that CNN ran during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 describing demonstrations as “mostly peaceful” as the network’s correspondent stood in front of a large fire in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Others parodied CNN’s tone by using it to describe other infamous terror attacks.
“Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev – packed their backpacks for a fun day out at the Boston Marathon,” wrote Melissa Chen, vice president of the geopolitical intelligence firm Strategy Risks, in a reference to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
