CNN hired an Egyptian born photojournalist who posted a series of anti-Semitic slurs on his official Twitter account in 2011 and suggested that it was good that a bomb exploded in Jerusalem, killing “4 Jewish pigs.”
Mohammed Elshamy was hired by CNN in 2019 as a photo editor, according to his Elshamy’s LinkedIn account.
He was hired for CNN’s Atlanta headquarters and was previously based in Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey, and other countries as a photojournalist with Anadolu Agency.
In a 2011 tweet, a teenage Mohammed Elshamy posted: “More than 4 Jewish pigs killed in #Jerusalem today by the Palestinian bomb explode. #Israel #Gaza.”
This tweet is making an apparent reference to the bomb that exploded at a crowded bus stop outside the International Convention Center in Jerusalem on March 23, 2011, according to the Haaretz newspaper.
The bomb, which exploded at around 3 p.m. in a phone booth near a Jerusalem bus stop, killed a 59-year-old woman and wounded 38 other people, two of them seriously, according to Israeli media reports. Some of the victims were as young as 15.
In another tweet from 2011, Elshamy wrote: “Israel is the main enemy for the people of Egypt and shall always remain despite rulers who lick Jewish legs.”
On his Twitter page from 2010-2012, Elshamy indicated support of the terrorist organization Hamas and used the word “Zionists” as a slur.
In a post on Twitter, Elshamy wrote, “Yesterday, tweets that I made in 2011 resurfaced in which I made offensive and hateful comments. I want to unequivocally express my apology to everyone, especially those in the Jewish community, who were offended by the tweets. I also want to apologize to my family, friends, and mentors.”
Regarding Elshamy, CNN told the Washington Examiner that “the network has accepted the resignation of a photo editor, who joined CNN earlier this year, after anti-Semitic statements he’d made in 2011 came to light. CNN is committed to maintaining a workplace in which every employee feels safe, secure and free from discrimination regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.”
CNN’s Ratings
President Donald Trump noted that CNN’s ratings have dropped significantly in a missive on July 12.
“Wow, @CNN RATINGS HAVE CRASHED. LOST ALL CREDIBILITY!” he wrote on Twitter.
Wow, @CNN RATINGS HAVE CRASHED. LOST ALL CREDIBILITY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2019
The language in the post indicated that the president had read or heard about a report from the right-leaning Fox News published on July 11 that was titled: “CNN mired in a credibility crisis as ratings continue to collapse, experts say.”
The report noted that CNN ratings have dropped even lower in the second quarter of 2019, averaging 541,000 viewers—less than half of Fox News.
CNN has for years ranked behind MSNBC and Fox and its top show is usually outside the top 20 shows. Overall, the cable news channel, which openly opposes Trump, often ranks behind channels like TLC, HGTV, and the Hallmark Channel.
NTD News reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
