Have the major media networks in the United States been in legal trouble for employing pro-Hamas "journalists"? Chief prosecutors of 14 U.S. states sent a letter yesterday to the owners of CNN, The New York Times, Reuters and the Associated Press warning them that paid employment by Hamas members, including for photography and reporting to the media, constitutes payment to terrorist operatives and is prohibited under U.S. law.
"On October 7, the Hamas terrorist organization began a massive terrorist campaign against Israel. Hamas terrorists murdered and kidnapped many Americans. We, the attorneys general of the undersigned countries, also remind you that providing means of support for terrorists and terrorist organizations is a crime. A credible report claims that some of your employees have deep and disturbing ties to Hamas – and may have participated in the October 7 attack."
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The plaintiffs praise the termination of ties between the media companies and the "journalists" who accompanied the Hamas attack, but add that their employment practices were problematic. "In the wake of these alarming reports, some of you have terminated contact with these so-called 'journalists' after they could no longer be hidden. This is good. But businesses like yours cannot avoid responsibility (for employing Hamas members) by refusing due diligence on them and then using this deliberate blindness as a basis to pay terrorists.
"If your company is now working with the practices that have led you to give material support to terrorists, you must change them. Otherwise, we must assume that any future support (yours) for terrorist organizations, through reporters, photographers, contractors and similar employees, is predetermined behavior."
The 14 plaintiffs warn that if media companies continue to employ Gazans linked to Hamas, they risk "getting entangled in investigations and, as a result, a further loss of credibility in the eyes of the public." They detail previous cases in which suspicions arose that these media outlets knowingly employed "journalists" with terrorist affiliations around the world. They also note that Congress is also investigating the affair.
In conclusion, they "reiterate: material support for terrorist organizations is illegal. You need to be sure that you have taken all necessary steps to prevent your organizations from associating with members of terrorist organizations. We urge you most vigorously to ensure that practices comply with federal and state laws prohibiting material support for terrorist organizations. We will continue to monitor your reports to ensure that your organizations do not break the law."
The initiative was led by Iowa Attorney General Brené Byrd. She was joined by attorneys general for Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Texas, Louisiana, Utah, Montana, Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee.
The letter was sent after Hunst Reporting exposed Gazan photographers close to Hamas who documented the attack on Israel in real time, some holding weapons while driving on terrorists' vehicles.
Prof. Eugene Kontrowitz, who was involved in promoting the letter, told Israel Hayom that "the State of Israel must also be involved in the affair and have its say. It will affect decision makers."
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