CNN, NYT Aiding “Israel” Wage Info War

By Staff, Agencies

A CNN commentator and New York Times reporters are mentoring in a journalism fellowship launched to help "Israel" win the “information war,” according to investigative outlet Drop Site.

Founded in 2025 by Jacki Karsh and her husband, the program bills itself as “the world’s only journalism fellowship solely dedicated to Jewish topics” and is “resolutely nonpartisan.”

Karsh said she started it to “shift the narrative” in "Israel’s" favor, citing the need to fight “on the battlegrounds of academia, law, business, [and] media.”

Drop Site described her as an “open and die-hard” supporter of "Israel", citing a March interview in which she framed "Israel" as “on the facts side."

The fellowship has recruited 16 mentors from outlets including The Atlantic, Spectrum News, The Spectator, Ynet, and Times of "Israel". Among them are New York Times journalists Jodi Rudoren and Sharon Otterman, according to Drop Site.

Other mentors include CNN’s Van Jones, who apologized after backlash over comments on HBO’s ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ linking images of martyred Palestinian children to a disinformation campaign; and Atlantic writer Michael Powell, who has criticized rights groups like Amnesty International for being “stridently critical of ‘Israel’.”

When Drop Site asked how the program could be “resolutely nonpartisan” given its stated aim, fellowship director Rob Eshmen said it aims to foster “fairness and accuracy on 'Israel' and Jewish issues.” He added that “the best response to misinformation is journalism grounded in evidence, integrity, and independence.”