CBS News published an article examining Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed's deleted social media posts about the Sept. 11 attacks, drawing criticism from prominent Democrats and media professionals who accused the report of being racist and Islamophobic.
Key Takeaways
CBS News published a report scrutinizing Abdul El-Sayed's deleted social media posts about the Sept. 11 attacks, sparking accusations of Islamophobia. The story drew criticism from Democrats and media professionals for its headline and framing.
- CBS News reported on El-Sayed's past tweets comparing COVID-19 deaths to 9/11
- Bari Weiss reportedly directed the article's headline to mention deleted tweets referencing 9/11
- Prominent Democrats condemned the report, calling it racist and biased
- CBS News defended the story as a routine examination of political candidates' past remarks
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▼Source Claims Check
3 Differences FoundAll 4 publishers report consistent facts across 1 key claim. 3 points of difference noted.
| Claim | Status | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bari Weiss' Involvement In Headline | 1 Difference | HuffPost and Fox News focus on Weiss' specific direction, while The Guardian discusses her broader editorial strategy. | ▼ |
| Media's Focus On Hasan Piker | 1 Difference | The Guardian emphasizes media's focus on Piker, while HuffPost and CBS News highlight El-Sayed's condemnation of the 9/11 attacks. | ▼ |
| Mike Rogers' Campaign Ties | 1 Difference | The Guardian highlights Rogers' campaign ties to Sewell, while HuffPost and CBS News focus on El-Sayed's condemnation of the 9/11 attacks. | ▼ |
| El-sayed's Deleted Tweets | Broad Agreement | El-Sayed compared COVID-19 deaths to 9/11 in deleted posts. |
Bari Weiss' Involvement In Headline
▼HuffPost and Fox News focus on Weiss' specific direction, while The Guardian discusses her broader editorial strategy.
Media's Focus On Hasan Piker
▼The Guardian emphasizes media's focus on Piker, while HuffPost and CBS News highlight El-Sayed's condemnation of the 9/11 attacks.
Mike Rogers' Campaign Ties
▼The Guardian highlights Rogers' campaign ties to Sewell, while HuffPost and CBS News focus on El-Sayed's condemnation of the 9/11 attacks.
El-sayed's Deleted Tweets
Broad AgreementEl-Sayed compared COVID-19 deaths to 9/11 in deleted posts.
This analysis is AI-generated and may not perfectly represent each source's reporting. Always read the original articles for full context.
The CBS article, written by journalist Zak Hudak and edited under Bari Weiss' direction, focused on El-Sayed's past references to the 2001 terrorist attacks. According to HuffPost, Weiss specifically asked that the headline mention El-Sayed's deleted tweets referencing 9/11. The final headline read: "Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's deleted tweets on Sept. 11 attacks invite scrutiny of past remarks."
The article described how El-Sayed, a public health expert running to be the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, had compared the COVID-19 death toll to that of 9/11 in since-deleted tweets. In response to CBS's inquiry about these remarks, El-Sayed stated that he condemned terrorism and the September 11 attacks but also emphasized the need to protect servicemen and women from unnecessary wars.
Many prominent Democrats took to social media to condemn both the headline and tone of the article. Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) called it "an insane, blatantly racist headline," while Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) accused CBS News of being intentionally biased against El-Sayed.
The response from media professionals was similar, with Bulwark Daily host Tim Miller calling the report "despicable anti-muslim woke right garbage." According to HuffPost, some CBS News staffers were troubled enough by the article to present it to the outlet's standards department. CBS News declined to comment on the record but provided a statement emphasizing that the story was focused on El-Sayed's deleted tweets, similar to other stories about lawmakers and political candidates.
How this summary was created
This summary synthesizes reporting from 4 independent publishers using AI. All sources are cited and linked below. NewsBalance is a news aggregator and media literacy tool, not a news publisher. AI-generated content may contain errors or inaccuracies — always verify important information with the original sources.