“A Hotbed of Deceit”: CNN Contributor Rips UN, Hamas, and His Own Network Over “Race to Be Wrong First” in Gaza Reporting

CNN contributor and The Dispatch editor-in-chief Jonah Goldberg unleashed a blistering critique Tuesday of his own network’s coverage of the war in Gaza, accusing the media, the United Nations, and humanitarian organizations of pushing misleading narratives and selectively assigning blame.

Appearing on CNN alongside panelists expressing alarm over Israel’s military campaign and humanitarian fallout in Gaza, Goldberg declared, “I’m going to be a skunk at the garden party on all of this,” before launching into a tirade that questioned the integrity of nearly every major voice in the ongoing conflict.

“I’m deeply skeptical of pretty much every actor,” Goldberg said. “Mainstream media — including some people at this network — the UN is a hotbed of deceit, and deception, and self-dealing. UNRWA and Hamas are deeply in bed with each other.”

He acknowledged the suffering in Gaza and said Israel “should do more,” but warned that foreign policy should not be dictated by “a steady stream of images” designed to manipulate public sentiment.

His most scathing comments were reserved for the UN and its affiliated aid agency, UNRWA, which Goldberg accused of complicity with Hamas. “Hamas is the government of Gaza,” he said. “If you read closely the coverage of this, if you read the UN statements about this, all of the responsibilities are on Israel to feed everybody.”

Pressed by CNN host Audie Cornish on whether Israel bore humanitarian obligations — particularly in light of dire famine warnings — Goldberg pushed back.

“There is not, in fact, famine right now,” he said, citing the very report referenced earlier in the broadcast. “We saw a news cycle where I had to comment on stuff like, ‘If in 48 hours Israel didn’t do something, 14,000 babies would die.’ Turned out that was a complete social media-driven hoax.”

Goldberg said he was alarmed by the “rush to outrage” and accused the media — including CNN — of amplifying sensational but unverified claims, often sourced from platforms with little accountability. “It doesn’t mean there isn’t profound suffering in Gaza,” he said, “but the media has created a one-sided narrative. Hamas hoards aid. They operate out of UN facilities. And yet the only demand from the international community is for Israel to do more.”

Goldberg added, “I’ve never been in a story where I have such complete distrust for almost every actor. I don’t want to win the race to be wrong first on any of this stuff.”