Failing network backtracks after portraying NYC bombing suspects as victims of youthful exuberance

CNN claimed on Tuesday that expressing sympathy for terror suspects violated the network's "editorial standards." Observers were stunned to learn that 1) CNN had standards, and 2) those standards were at odds with the mainstream media's longstanding tradition of valorizing terrorists who target people they don't like.

The network was forced to take action in response to widespread outrage over a CNN article and accompanying social media post about Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi—the (alleged) terrorists who tried to detonate homemade explosives at a protest in New York City over the weekend.

"Two Pennsylvania teenagers crossed into New York City Saturday morning for what could've been a normal day enjoying the city during abnormally warm weather," the CNN account wrote on X. "But in less than an hour, their lives would drastically change as the pair would be arrested for throwing homemade bombs during an anti-Muslim protest outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's home."

Just a couple a crazy kids whose lives veered off course when—in a moment of youthful exuberance—they were accidentally inspired by ISIS to eschew the splendid weather and pursue their passion for DIY by (allegedly) cobbling together some adorably makeshift bombs, traveling nearly two hours to Manhattan (boys trip!), and praising God in police custody after those devices wound up being hurled into a crowd with smoldering fuses. Bless their hearts, the poor things.

It is a remarkable piece of so-called journalism. A tranquil setup (and subtle nod to the existential threat of climate change) followed by a passive-voiced twist that seems to imply the rambunctious teenagers were participants in the anti-Muslim protest and targeting Mamdani with their homemade fireworks. It will surprise no one to learn that the story's lead author is a Los Angeles-based they/them who attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and holds a degree in gender studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

The backlash was swift, vigorous, and entirely understandable. CNN eventually deleted the post on X because it "failed to reflect the gravity of the incident thereby breaching the editorial standards we require for all our reporting." Brian Stelter, CNN's media reporter and unofficial network spokesman, said the post was "rightly criticized" and "quickly addressed by CNN management," but insisted the "story itself was solid." Whoopsie! We regret the unfortunate terrorist sympathy, a mistake that happens all the time in journalism—a typo, basically. That's our bad. The important thing is that we corrected it.

Critics blasted Stelter's public relations attempt, pointing out that the "solid" story's original opening was "exactly" the same as the now-deleted X post. The article appeared to have been stealthily revised to make it (slightly) less ridiculous. "Two Pennsylvania men on Saturday followed the route taken by thousands as they crossed the George Washington Bridge into New York City," the updated article read. "But less than an hour later, their trajectory took a dark turn as they were arrested for throwing homemade bombs during an anti-Muslim protest outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's home."

They removed the climate change reference, but the absurd framing was unchanged. Just a couple of everyday commuters—"men" instead of "teenagers"—whose normal afternoon in the city "took a dark turn" when they accidentally tried to commit terrorism. Like the deleted post, the article also implies a degree of spontaneity and bad luck most would not attribute to a couple of ISIS fans who (allegedly) build bombs and transported them almost 100 miles before tossing them into a crowd. It's safe to say the "dark turn" came well before they reached the George Washington Bridge.

The article has since been updated to better reflect the "gravity of the incident" and adhere to CNN's editorial standards, according to an editor's note. The lead paragraph now reads as follows: "Investigators are digging deeper into the backgrounds of two terror suspects accused of tossing makeshift bombs at a protest outside the New York City mayor’s home in what authorities describe as an ISIS-inspired attack over the weekend."

Stelter, meanwhile, has resumed posting about Donald Trump and complaining that right-leaning outlets are allowed to ask questions at Pentagon press briefings.

Major changes are likely coming to CNN as Paramount prepares to acquire the network's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and restore a modicum of respectability.