Let's kick this one off with a brief, current bio of (usually) liberal journalist Christiane Amanpour.

British-Iranian Amanpour is the Chief International Anchor for CNN and host of CNN International's nightly interview program "Amanpour." She is also the host of "Amanpour & Company" on PBS.

So, the juxtaposition of Amanpour, CNN, and PBS — yeah, PBS, as in who knew? —is why I chose to write this article. 

In the aftermath of the radical Islamist group Hamas launching a brutal and unprecedented ISIS-like attack in Israel, during which, babies were reportedly murdered and other atrocities committed, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a massive retaliatory strike in the Gaza Strip, which continues to escalate as I write. 

Amanpour, whose reporting usually betrays no sympathy for Israel’s position in the Middle East, kicked off her latest broadcast by not only airing interviews of survivors and family members of kidnapped Israelis, but also with repeated condemnations of Hamas. 

Remember that the "Amapour" show airs on both CNN International and taxpayer- and grant-funded PBS. 

Here's Amanpour's opening:

Hello, everyone, and welcome to "Amanpour." Here's what's coming up. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address the nation this hour ... after a devastating and unprecedented slaughter by Hamas inside Israel. And the number of Israelis confirmed killed in the attack continues to rise. As fears grow for the people taken hostage, my conversation with a woman who says her 19-year-old sister was kidnapped by Hamas. 

And we speak to a survivor of the massacre of that music festival in Southern Israel. Also, ahead, how this attack unfolded and what happens next. I speak to an IDF spokesperson,  to veteran politician, Tzipi Livni, and to a former head of Mossad. 

[...]

Today, Israel declared a "complete siege of Gaza." The [Israeli] defense minister [said] no water, no food, no electricity, no fuel will be allowed in. As he [said] we are fighting barbaric terrorists. This comes on the third day of anger, agony, and despair in [Israel] after Hamas launched a surprise assault from Gaza on Saturday, that's killed more than 700 people, taken dozens hostage, and left thousands more injured, and these numbers are all expected to rise. 

Gaza is being hit with near continuous air strikes as Israel has declared war. So far, more than 550 Palestinians have been killed, with thousands more injured according to the Palestinian health minister inside Gaza. And there are concerns of a broader conflict as the Israel Defense Forces reveal it is also striking within Lebanese territory. 

The scale of the attack, the worst single day of death since Israel was founded in 1948, means everyone knows someone who's been impacted. [...]

That was some heady stuff, there, and although I loathe the cliche, "a lot to unpack."

First, Amanpour's condemnation of the Hamas attack was creditably notable. Second, the liberal host's tacit support of Israeli retaliation was damn near unprecedented. Second, the very notion that a traditionally left-wing "journalist" had the cojones to speak truth to so-called "progressive" power was damn near breathtaking.

During one back-and-forth with her guests, Amanpour went bottom-line:

As you know, war crimes have been committed by Hamas against civilians inside Israel with the slaughter of innocents there. And of course, you heard Tzipi Livni and many people saying that the death and destruction of Palestinian people inside Gaza is fully on the shoulders of Hamas.

Bingo. The Democrat Party was unavailable for comment, by the way.

Question: Why did even CNN air Amanpour's entire segment, yet PBS edited out (censored) Amanpour correctly blaming Hamas for the destruction now being visited on Gaza? The question, of course, is rhetorical, given that PBS is PBS.

Incidentally, with respect to the Israel-Hamas war and the 2024 presidential election — and more specifically, the Republican presidential candidates — my colleague Bob Hoge reported on Wednesday that Donald Trump took the opportunity to criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which precipitated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to fire back at the former president. 

Amanpour's entire show was somewhat astounding, with respect to both her honesty as a British-Iranian and a normally diehard liberal on CNN. 

The Bottom Line

As I wrote on Tuesday, sometimes the horrific atrocities carried out by terrorists and other (non-white) evil people are just too damn hard to ignore. Even for some left-wingers.