CNN stealth-edited a headline about a Jewish man killed during a brawl with a pro-Palestinian protester, and the outlet is continuing to downplay the cause of death.
The outlet initially published a headline about the arrest of the pro-Palestinian protester Thursday, reading, “Arrest made in death of Jewish protester who fell and hit his head,” according to an archived version of the article. It later changed the headline to “Arrest made in death of Jewish protester in California after confrontation over Israel-Hamas war.”
Police arrested 50-year-old Loay Alnaji on charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the death of 69-year-old Paul Kessler, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office’s news release. He is booked at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility on a $1 million bond.
The outlet has yet to change the lede which downplays Kessler’s death, stating he died from falling and hitting his head. The Ventura County medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.
“A 50-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of a Jewish protester who fell and hit his head during pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protests in Southern California earlier this month, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday,” the lede currently reads. (RELATED: NBC News Quietly Stealth-Edits Headline After Downplaying Death Of Jewish Man Killed In Pro-Palestinian Protest)
CNN changed their atrocious headline about “Jewish protester who fell and hit his head.”
You know what they didn’t change? The story itself. Which word for word repeats that headline.
Are they doing this on purpose? pic.twitter.com/SHAlOcfRXk
— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) November 16, 2023
Kessler died from “injuries sustained during an altercation at a Pro-Israeli/Pro-Palestinian event” held Nov. 6, the sheriff’s office previously reported. Medical personnel then transported him to the hospital to provide him with “advanced medical treatment.”
“An autopsy was performed on November 6th and the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be blunt force head injury and the manner of death homicide,” the sheriff’s office said.
This is the second instance where CNN stealth-edited a headline reporting on Kessler’s death. In an article published November 7, the outlet originally headlined it, “Man in California dies after suffering head injury at pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrations,” according to an archived version. The headline was later changed to ‘Jewish man dies from head injury following ‘interaction’ with pro-Palestinian demonstrator in California, authorities say.”