The Propaganda FilesCNN: ISIS-Inspired Bombs Were an Attack 'Against' Mayor Mamdani
Teasing a NewsNight segment, Abby Phillip described the weekend's events near Gracie Mansion as an attempted terror attack against New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. A CNN reporter and a commentator made the same claim.
Recast an Islamist-inspired attack on anti-Muslim protesters as an attack on a Democratic mayor.
What was reported
Teasing a NewsNight segment, Abby Phillip described the weekend's events near Gracie Mansion as an attempted terror attack against New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. A CNN reporter and a commentator made the same claim.
What actually happened
Officials said the two suspects threw improvised explosive devices at an anti-Muslim protest outside the mayor's residence, toward the protesters, and a federal complaint said they had expressed support for ISIS. Phillip apologized on X and on air the next day and said she took full responsibility. Senior reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere deleted his post and apologized. Separately, CNN deleted an X post about the suspects that it said breached its standards.
The proof
Officials' account and the federal complaint describing the target, plus Phillip's own correction.
The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:
CNN: ISIS-Inspired Bombs Were an Attack 'Against' Mayor Mamdani — Retracted. Officials' account and the federal complaint describing the target, plus Phillip's own correction. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/cnn-phillip-mamdani-target-nyc-bombs/
Original reporting
- TheWrap: Account of Phillip's tease and apology (secondary)https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/journalism/cnn-abby-phillip-apology-nyc-bomb-target-zohran-mamdani/
Corrections, findings & records
- Mediaite: 'I apologize for the error': Phillip corrects false claimhttps://mediaite.com/media/news/i-apologize-for-the-error-abby-phillip-corrects-false-claim-about-nyc-terror-attack
- IJR: Reporter issues on-air apology for false NYC coveragehttps://ijr.com/reporter-issues-on-air-apology-for-false-nyc-coverage/
Archived copies
Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.
- Archived copy: TheWrap: Account of Phillip's tease and apology (secondary)https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/journalism/cnn-abby-phillip-apology-nyc-bomb-target-zohran-mamdani/