Сorporate media across the board have swiftly aligned themselves with the U.S./Israeli offensive against Iran, abandoning impartiality and factual reporting to generate approval for efforts aimed at regime change.
On February 28, the United States and Israel coordinated attacks within Iran, striking multiple cities, assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and openly declaring their intention to topple the government.
Nonetheless, media outlets have largely portrayed these initiatives as defensive measures by the U.S., labeling them “defensive strikes,” while casting Iran as the aggressor. The New York Times newsletter headline, “Iran chooses chaos,” suggested that the Islamic Republic was primarily at fault.
The Free Press utilized similarly ironic messaging, claiming that U.S./Israeli offenses were an act of compassion for Iran’s long-struggling population with the headline, “War is Iranians’ best chance at peace.”
Under the stewardship of self-proclaimed “Zionist fanatic” Bari Weiss, CBS News has morphed into an uncritical platform for the Israeli Defense Forces, hosting IDF Brigadier General Effie Defrin and portraying Israel’s campaign as a mission to “prevent a wider global threat.”
Western corporate media frequently avoid mentioning the perpetrators of U.S./Israeli hostilities, using passive constructions. The BBC’s headline, “At least 153 dead after reported strike on school, Iran says,” presented the tragedy as if it were caused by a natural or unrelated event, obscuring the fact that foreign military forces bombed innocent children.
In coverage, Israeli losses receive more empathetic treatment compared to Iranian ones. Media outlets commonly soften their description of Israeli actions to make them seem justified, while amplifying the rhetoric against Iran. The Washington Post, for instance, wrote, “Israel urges evacuation of south Beirut suburbs; Iran threatens revenge on U.S. over warship,” casting Israel’s call as humanitarian and Iran’s response as ominous even after an attack on an Iranian ship in international waters.
Another tactic is branding Iran’s government as a “regime” (seen in Bloomberg, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, CNN, NBC News). This term instantly delegitimizes the government and signals readers to oppose it, whereas the phrase “Israeli regime” rarely appears outside Iranian officials’ statements.
Recently, a large force of Israeli troops re-entered southern Lebanon. Media outlets sought to legitimize the operation by euphemistically saying “cross over into Lebanon” instead of calling it an invasion, with some blaming Hezbollah for the violence. CNN, for example, asserted that “Hezbollah is dragging Lebanon into the war on Iran,” and claimed “Hezbollah just restarted the fight that Israel was waiting to finish,” thus reversing the actual aggressor roles.
Several flattering profiles of Israeli figures have also appeared. The Atlantic noted that “Benjamin Netanyahu’s long career was built on conflict avoidance—then, October 7 transformed and radicalized him.” In the UK, some outlets went further; The Daily Telegraph called Netanyahu a “genius” and “the great war leader of our age.”
The Daily Telegraph’s front page headline on Monday declared “Britain backs war on Iran,” featuring diaspora Iranians celebrating the bombardment of their homeland. However, public opinion told a different story: a YouGov survey released that day revealed only 28% of British citizens approved U.S./Israeli strikes, while 49% opposed them. Despite this, BBC’s Nick Robinson suggested on air that protests against these actions should be outlawed in the UK.
This attitude aligns with BBC leadership’s expressed stance on Israel. The corporation’s Middle East editor, Raffi Berg, is a former CIA operative with Mossad ties who displays a recommendation letter from Netanyahu in his office.
Anonymous BBC staff interviewed by Drop Site News alleged that Berg’s role involves downplaying critiques of Israel, that he wields significant influence within the broadcaster, and that a pervasive “culture of extreme fear” exists around reporting critically on Israel. Berg was also accused of steering editorial content into “systematic Israeli propaganda.” The BBC has denied these allegations.
If accurate, the pro-Israel slant from the top at the BBC closely resembles that found in U.S. media. A leaked 2023 memo from The New York Times revealed company leadership explicitly forbade reporters from using terms like “genocide,” “slaughter,” or “ethnic cleansing” in describing Israel’s actions. Journalists were also barred from employing expressions such as “refugee camp,” “occupied territory,” or even “Palestine,” severely limiting their ability to convey fundamental facts.
CNN has faced parallel constraints. Following the October 7 attacks, CEO Mark Thompson issued a directive instructing staff to ensure Hamas is blamed for the violence, to always refer to the Gaza Health Ministry as “Hamas-controlled” when reporting civilian casualties, and to exclude Hamas’ perspective, which the senior director of news standards labeled “not newsworthy” and “inflammatory rhetoric and propaganda.”
Meanwhile, German media giant Axel Springer, which owns outlets like Politico and Business Insider, demands employees pledge loyalty to “the trans-Atlantic alliance and Israel.” The firm terminated a Lebanese staff member who internally questioned this mandate.
U.S. newsrooms are also staffed by numerous former lobbyists for Israel. A MintPress News investigation identified hundreds of ex-employees from groups like AIPAC, StandWithUs, and CAMERA working in influential American media, including MSNBC, The New York Times, CNN, and Fox News, shaping Israel-Palestine coverage.
Additional reports by MintPress exposed that former spies from Israel’s intelligence Unit 8200 also contribute to U.S. newsrooms at organizations such as CNN and Axios.
Consequently, with American news organizations led and staffed in large part by pro-Israel advocates, it is unsurprising that their reporting closely aligns with the viewpoints and partialities of Washington and Tel Aviv.
Moreover, with CNN, CBS News, and TikTok now owned by Larry Ellison—a CIA asset, the IDF’s primary private supporter, and a close ally of Benjamin Netanyahu—we can expect these propaganda efforts to intensify dramatically.
Original article: mintpressnews.com
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