Following the news that an American hostage was found dead, killed by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, CNN faced backlash for initially reporting that the victim, 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, had “died.” This wording suggested he had passed away from natural causes, omitting the fact that he was murdered.
The original headline of the article by Alex Stambaugh and Nectar Gan read, “Israeli American Hostage Has Died.” Goldberg-Polin had been kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre against Israel.
After receiving criticism on social media for its phrasing, CNN updated the headline to “Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin Among Six Dead Hostages Discovered in Gaza Tunnel.” However, the content of the article was not revised and still began with, “Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American-Israeli held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, has died, his family said Sunday…”
The article also included casualty numbers from Hamas, which have been criticized by both the U.S. and the U.N. as being unreliable. CNN has frequently faced accusations of bias against Israel.
According to the Hostages Families Forum, Hersh was the son of Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, with two younger sisters. Born in the United States, he immigrated to Israel with his family at the age of seven. On October 7, 2023, Hersh attended the NOVA music festival, where he was injured when Hamas terrorists threw grenades into a shelter. Despite his injury, he managed to apply a tourniquet to himself before being seen being loaded into a truck by the terrorists. In April, Hamas released a video showing that Hersh’s hand had been amputated.
Hersh’s body, along with the bodies of five other hostages, was found in a terror tunnel under the Gazan city of Rafah. Earlier, in March, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had warned Israel against entering the Hamas stronghold, with Harris threatening “consequences” if the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) entered the city. Hersh’s parents had addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
President Biden condemned Hamas in a statement, saying, “Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.”
Vice President Harris also issued a statement, saying, “Doug and my prayers are with Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Hersh’s parents, and with everyone who knew and loved Hersh. When I met with Jon and Rachel earlier this year, I told them: You are not alone. That remains true as they mourn this terrible loss. Americans and people around the world will pray for Jon, Rachel, and their family and send them love and strength. As is said in the Jewish tradition, may Hersh’s memory be a blessing.”
During a campaign stop, Harris said she and Biden were “working around the clock” to secure the release of the remaining hostages, despite Biden having recently been on vacation in Delaware.
Hersh’s body was discovered alongside the bodies of Eden Yerushalmi (24), Carmel Gat (39), Almog Sarusi (26), Alex Lubnov (32), and Ori Danino (25), who were all abducted during the October 7 terrorist attacks.