CNN faces backlash over ‘staged’ Syrian prisoner rescue report

Criticism mounts as US news channel backtracks on identity of Syrian prisoner who provided a false name and worked as an intelligence officer in the Assad regime.

A Syrian thought to be a prisoner rescued by United States media outlet CNN has turned out to be a former intelligence officer in the Bashar al-Assad government.

After a lightning offensive that overthrew the 24-year-long regime this month, opposition fighters freed thousands of people from a network of prisons run by the former government.

The report produced by CNN documenting what it claimed was the rescue of the prisoner has garnered widespread criticism, forcing the media outlet to re-examine the claims.

The video, aired on Thursday, shows CNN’s Clarissa Ward and her team, accompanied by an opposition fighter, reporting from a secret prison in the capital, Damascus, and stumbling upon a “hidden prisoner”.

“I’m a civilian. I’m a civilian,” the prisoner said as he cowered under a blanket with hands raised.

CNN’s irresponsible reporting is a slap in the face to all the hard working and dilligent journalists who have been covering Syria for years, often at great personal risk. Heads should roll… https://t.co/oUBuGVJmZ8

— Christian Henderson (@CjvHenderson) December 17, 2024

The man, who identified himself in the video as Adel Gharbal from Homs, was revealed to be Salama Mohammad Salama, according to the Syrian fact-checking platform Verify Sy on Sunday – an assertion later confirmed by CNN’s own investigation.

Salama told CNN he was in detention for three months after his phone was searched and he was later transferred to another facility in Damascus.

However, Verify Sy reported residents saying he had been incarcerated for less than a month over extortion-related charges.

Does no one see how problematic—and staged—this is? Shame on you, @clarissaward @CNN, for exploiting Syrian survivors and profiting off the pain of suffering communities. This isn’t journalism; it’s ego-driven sensationalism. cc @NatEnquirer @TheSun #Syria https://t.co/oeayi3OPHn

— Raja Althaibani (allegedly) (@RajaAlthaibani) December 12, 2024

Ward said in her report that she and her team were at the prison initially searching for US journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in 2012 when he was abducted in the capital while on a reporting tour to cover the uprising against al-Assad.

A community note shared under Ward’s post on X, where she called it “one of the most extraordinary moments” of her career, now reads: “His real name is Salama Mohammad Salama. Salama, known as “Abu Hamza,” is a first lieutenant in Syrian Air Force Intelligence, notorious for his activities in Homs. Residents identified him as frequently stationed at a checkpoint in the area’s western entrance.”

After the release of the report, users on social media began questioning CNN’s coverage, some even accusing the US outlet of staging the whole incident.

One user highlighted Salama’s “perfectly manicured nails”, “clean clothes” and overall well-groomed look, casting doubts about the truth behind the network’s widely shared video.

Many of us correctly suspected that CNN staged the prisoner story.

CNN is now backtracking, shifting blame onto the man while absolving itself of any wrongdoing.@clarissaward own up and apologise for misleading your viewers. https://t.co/CkoqXb7GZx

— Ismailoğlu Pasha (@IsmailogluF) December 16, 2024

Since Monday’s clarification, many have demanded CNN apologise for its original reporting.

“This is a totally shambolic event for CNN,” one user posted on X.

Another user accused the US outlet of “backtracking”, putting the blame squarely on Salama, and “absolving itself of any wrongdoing”.

CNN said it was unaware of Salama’s whereabouts and had been unable to make contact with him.