CNN Acknowledges Being Deceived by False Syrian ‘Prisoner’

A humorous incident occurred with a CNN film crew while they were on their way to Damascus. This event did not involve a miraculous conversion like the story of Paul the Apostle but instead revolved around their attempt to capture award-winning footage for a big story. The crew hoped that this story would make waves on television and the internet, leading to accolades, promotions, and prime offices at CNN headquarters.

But as my esteemed colleague Bonchie informed us earlier on Monday, that’s not what happened.

Bonchie writes:

It all began when Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward from the left-leaning network produced a story claiming that she and others had freed a man from a prison previously controlled by a certain group. CNN quickly released the video of this event, proudly stating that their cameras had captured the moment when the man was liberated.

Ward then went to social media to garner clicks, calling it “one of the most extraordinary moments” she had ever witnessed.

In nearly twenty years as a journalist, this was one of the most extraordinary moments I have witnessed. https://t.co/rG3WmhKh7X

— Clarissa Ward (@clarissaward) December 11, 2024

Except, it wasn’t. The “prisoner” was revealed to be one of the ousted Syrian regime’s torturers. 

The struggling left-leaning network, eager for higher ratings, made the mistake of unintentionally setting free a notorious torture agent from the now-toppled Bashar al-Assad regime. Going by the name “Adel Gharbal,” Salama Mohammad Salama exploited Ward’s eagerness to create viral content as a means to escape from his imprisonment. So, why was he in the cell in the first place? Apparently, after years of committing acts of extortion, torture, and murder, he found himself in conflict with a superior officer over money.

Whoops. Now, red-faced, CNN is admitting their Charlie Foxtrot.

An image obtained by CNN on Monday now points to the man’s real identity – said to be a lieutenant in the Assad regime’s Air Force Intelligence Directorate, Salama Mohammad Salama.

A resident of the Bayada neighborhood in Homs gave CNN a photograph said to be of the same man while he was on duty, in what appears to be a government office. Facial recognition software provided a match of more than 99 percent with the man CNN met in the Damascus prison cell. The photograph shows him sitting at a desk, apparently in military clothing. CNN is not publishing the photo to protect the source’s anonymity.

As CNN continued to pursue information about the freed prisoner after the original report, multiple residents of Homs said that the man was Salama, also known as Abu Hamza. They told CNN that he was known for running the Air Force Intelligence Directorate’s checkpoints in the city and accused him of having a reputation for extortion and harassment.

OK, we all make mistakes, and it’s good to own up to them when we do. But given CNN’s history, I think we may be forgiven for indulging in just a little bit of schadenfreude.

But it’s also fair to point out that Clarissa Ward got caught leaning way too far forward in her foxhole. Yes, she was duped; but also, yes, she should know that she is dealing with the downfall of a deeply corrupt regime, members of which are now really reluctant to discuss exactly who they are and what they’ve been up to in recent years. It’s a safe bet that, after this, there won’t be any corner office at CNN HQ in the future for her or her film crew.

Journalists are supposed to earn the public’s trust by checking, verifying, and bringing the readers/viewers — that would be all of you reading this — the best and most accurate information we can determine. Yes, sometimes developments require updates; yes, sometimes new information contradicts old information. But this looks like a case where someone anxious for a scoop just got caught short, and that’s too bad.