CNN presenter insists the media 'censor too much' as he wants to 'show more truth'

CNN presenter Jake Tapper has spoken out about the challenges of covering the Israel-Hamas war, admitting he struggles with how much to show audiences - and accused the media of censoring too much. Tapper, who has reported extensively on the conflict overseas, said: "As always, it's the fog of war. Not knowing exactly what is going on for sure at any given moment, first reports being inadequate, sources for information being biased, the difficulty of knowing what is happening on a battlefield, the near impossibility of getting hard, cold facts in real-time."

When asked about showing graphic footage from Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, Tapper didn't hold back. Speaking to CNN, he fumed: "This is an issue I struggle with all the time and have been for more than a decade. I generally feel that we in the news media write large, all over the world, censor too much.

"There is part of me that thinks if we showed more of what war is and what gun violence is and what fentanyl and opioids actually do, the better the journalism we would be providing.

"But these are fights I lose, and I understand why I lose them. I just don't think we should pretend that hiding these images is any less of an overt act than showing them."

Tapper also emphasised the global significance of the October 7 attacks, adding: "In any case, what happened on October 7 to the Israelis, and subsequently the hostages, is such an important part of what is going on right now in Gaza, and I think it is important to show the world. The Israelis perceive Hamas to be an existential threat to their survival."

He criticised how some groups have downplayed or denied the attacks, explaining: "The framing of what happened on October 7 by much of the Arab world, and much of the progressive world in the United States, which in some cases includes outright denialism, is also part of the story."

Quoting General Eisenhower, he added: "I think people ought to know about such things... I think the people ought to know what they are fighting for and the kind of person they are fighting."

Addressing coverage of sexual violence, Tapper said: "It's shocking. The degree to which Hamas terrorists raped and committed sexually violent acts on women and girls on October 7 is hideous, and there is evidence and witnesses to the degradation."

He added: "Where is the international women's community? Where is the U.S. feminist community? Do these girls and women not count as victims for some reason? I wasn't aware victimhood for rape came with an asterisk."

On criticism that the media hasn't shown enough of Gaza's suffering, he said: "I've seen a ton of strong coverage that gives glimpses into life in Gaza, but it is incredibly dangerous to be there right now. Journalists have been killed."

He noted a rise in antisemitism but said: "Ugly words are just that: words. It's nothing compared to what the people in and Gaza and the West Bank are currently going through."

US President said recently progress was being made regarding the return of the hostages being held in Gaza and that he was dealing with both and Hamas, but he gave no other details about the talks.