ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Clarissa Ward, a British-American television journalist and the chief international correspondent for CNN, has garnered netizens’ support after CNN debunked a viral video that claimed that her reporting in Israel was staged.
In the disputed clip, Ward and her team can be seen running for cover and hitting the ground after hearing a barrage of missiles during an attack close to the Israel-Gaza border.
Ward was then seen with her face down in the ditch as a man on her team indicated the rockets were being stopped by Israel's "Iron Dome."
The footage of Ward scurrying for cover is just one of the many tragic moments that reporters have captured since the conflict broke out on October 7 when Hamas launched nearly 2,000 missiles on Israel and carried out dozens of ground attacks, killing more than 1,300 citizens.
Ward, who holds an honorary doctor of letters degree from Middlebury College, is no stranger to covering conflict zones and has previously garnered applause for reporting from war-torn regions of Syria and Afghanistan.
The journalist began her career as an overnight desk assistant at Fox News in 2003. Afterward, she went on to work with several other broadcasters, including ABC News and CBS News.
In 2015, she finally joined CNN, where she engaged in a series of wartime reports. On the personal front, Ward is married to Philipp von Bernstorff, with whom she shares three young children.
Is Clarissa Ward’s Israel report really 'fake'?
While Clarissa Ward received accolades from many for reporting valiantly from the front lines, a false video mocked the incident and claimed she had faked danger for the cameras.
Her video was allegedly spoofed by an X (formerly Twitter) account, The Quartering, which calls itself a "news and content organization" but acknowledged using phony audio layered over the journalist’s actual footage.
"CNN Busted FAKING Attack In Israel For The Camera!," read the caption of The Quartering's post. In the manipulated video, audio intended to sound like a CNN producer began saying, "Yeah, we can see the area is completely deserted but I want you to get them off the road."
"Get them to lay down next to the road, okay?" added the voice, as one of Ward's team members was seen on a phone call. The footage continued to joke about the situation, including instructing Ward to look "nice and scared" for the cameras, according to Daily Mail.
In a subsequent post, the account acknowledged, "Yes, of course, the voiceover isn't real," but claimed that Ward's "fake acting IS real."
Even though the audio was obviously edited, the video was extensively shared, with many viewers believing that it was authentic. X owner Elon Musk even responded to one of the posts with a laughing-with-tears emoji.
After severe trolling, CNN eventually responded to the video, with one spokesperson saying, "The audio in the video posted and shared on X is fabricated, inaccurate and irresponsibly distorts the reality of the moment that was covered live on CNN, which people should watch in full for themselves on a trusted platform," as per the New York Post.
Internet stands in support of CNN reporter Clarissa Ward
After CNN debunked The Quartering's video, many social media users came forward to express their support for Clarissa Ward.
One said, "Journalist risking their lives on the front line is not a joke."
Another noted, "I can't imagine Clarissa Ward faking anything. She's always in the middle of the worst stuff," while a person added, "I've watched other journalists diving for cover a few times. Clarissa puts herself on the lines, front lines, repeatedly."
"They are so triggered by a woman with more courage than they'll ever have," expressed someone else, with one more saying, "Well someone with a PRESS vest was actually injured (broken arm/head wound?), & one may be deceased."
A follower of Ward expressed, "I have watched her at the most dangerous places in the world, and saw nothing but a knowledgeable, passionate, fair and brave journalist. Don't like CNN, but Clarissa is one of the best in that field. Elon would not go there, power outages could render his Tesla useless."
