CNN was embarrassingly caught this weekend quietly altering the agenda for its upcoming Global Perspectives forum in Doha, revising sycophantic language that portrayed Qatar—a country notorious for buying influence and consorting with terrorist groups—in an overwhelmingly glowing light.
Deleted text from CNN's website posted on social media shows how CNN removed language proclaiming that "Qatar has built something rare" and that it is a "State of Influence" located "at the center of global affairs" with "achievements in diplomacy, energy, culture and sport," and replaced it with more neutral phrases referring to the broader Middle East.
"Global Perspectives in Doha"—featuring CNN stars Wolf Blitzer and Christiane Amanpour and set to begin on October 29—is billed by CNN as a "new live event series, bringing the network's renowned journalism and expert analysis to the stage." Amanpour, who once claimed that Israeli hostages held by Hamas were "probably being treated better than the average Gazan," announced Monday that she will be leaving CNN in June.
The event is a commercial, for-profit event, though CNN is opaque about how it makes money. The conference aims to gather Western business leaders—who may or may not be receiving compensation or luxury travel to attend—and profit from sponsorships, promotions, and perhaps by providing the Qataris with access to conference attendees.
But even though it's a corporate event, CNN is dressing it up as a journalistic forum, bringing two of its biggest stars—Blitzer and Amanpour—as well as CNN's chief executive and editor in chief, Mark Thompson (described as Sir Mark Thompson on marketing materials), and other personalities such as Richard Quest.
As it gears up for the event, held at the luxury Rosewood Doha, CNN has "quietly revised" the agenda of the Global Perspectives forum, "removing some rather sycophantic descriptions of Qatar," Eitan Fischberger, an open-source intelligence investigator and writer, posted Saturday on X, along with screenshots showing the since-deleted descriptions. One session, "The Gulf: What Comes Next," originally proclaimed that "Qatar has built something rare — a small country with an outsized role in how the world works." It previously praised "Qatar's achievements in diplomacy, energy, culture, and sport, describing the country as having consistently punched above its weight." Another session, "State of Influence," hyped "Qatar's expanding diplomatic role, asking how the country could position itself at the center of global affairs," Fischberger reported.
These descriptions, he noted, "have since disappeared from the live agenda, but traces remain in Bing's search index." There are also signs on CNN's promotional website that recent changes were made. The panel discussing the Gulf's future was renamed "Power in the Middle," signaling that an editor failed to fully revise the title to include the word "east." The session makes no explicit mention of Qatar, but states: "The global order is no longer shaped by superpowers alone."
CNN's stealth alterations suggest the network is aware of the sensitivity of using its brand to market the state of Qatar, which is the summit's primary financial backer. The event is also expected to be a money maker for CNN, which held a Monday press conference in Doha to promote the joint endeavor. CNN did not respond to a Washington Free Beacon request for comment on the agenda, the alterations flagged by Fischberger, and questions about how much control Qatar is exerting over the forum.
"Global Perspectives is a place where the ideas that are shaping our world can be voiced and shared. It's a meeting place where CNN's award-winning journalism can partner with thought leaders to create meaningful dialogue," Ellana Lee, CNN's global head of productions, said during the press conference. "This is CNN's first Global Perspectives event here in the Middle East, and it could hardly come at a better time. There's no better place to host it than here in Qatar, in the heart of the region."
Tiny Qatar, which has enormous wealth from natural gas, is controversial for its longstanding ties to terrorist groups, including Hamas—whose leadership lives in Qatar—and the use of its state-run news network, Al Jazeera, to influence Arab world affairs and disseminate antisemitic and anti-Israel views. The nation has repeatedly come under scrutiny for its aggressive efforts to buy influence in the United States, some of which led to criminal prosecutions against Americans receiving Qatari bribes. In 2017, the other major Gulf states were so angry at Qatar for its meddling and dalliances with Iran that they imposed a land, sea, and air blockade on the country that ultimately failed.
Only 11 percent of Qatar's population of about three million are Qatari citizens. The rest are "guest workers," mostly from India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Qatar is regularly accused of gross human rights abuses of these workers, including for using a restrictive "sponsorship" system that’s been compared to modern-day slavery.
But Qatar has deployed its enormous wealth to buy goodwill and glowing media coverage. One major effort is Media City, where Qatar is hosting media companies as well as major news organizations, and is underwriting some of their newsgathering and production costs. In 2024, CNN opened a bureau in Education City, which was underwritten with state funds, and recently cosponsored Qatar's annual foreign policy juggernaut known as the Doha Forum.
CNN's marketing materials for the Global Perspectives conference promise that "Editorial content and news-making interviews" from the summit "will be featured across CNN platforms," offering Qatar an opportunity to portray itself positively to the Western world.
In addition to Thompson, Amanpour, Blitzer, and Quest, other CNN figures slated to attend include Caroline Faraj, CNN Arabic's editor in chief, and CNN International senior producer Bijan Hosseini. Qatar's prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a member of Qatar's ruling family, will also make an appearance, along with Qatar Investment Authority chief executive Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi and Egyptian Minister of Investment Mohamed Farid Saleh.
Former U.S. diplomat Brett McGurk, who worked across multiple American administrations, is also expected to attend, as is former United Nations under-secretary-general Martin John Griffiths.
Another session still being touted on CNN's website adopts Qatar's own views about America's waning global footprint. "Can America Still Lead?" the event description asks. "America remains the world's largest economy and military power, but it is entering a period of intense political division and growing international competition. As they prepare for midterm elections, how is American leadership evolving and what does that mean for allies, rivals and regions such as the Gulf? And how much of the world's future still depends on decisions made in Washington?"
A separate "breakout session" will be presented directly by "Media City Qatar." Dubbed "Cultural Roots, Global Reach," the session will center on "media zones, sovereign capital, and creators who build audiences without institutions are producing a new kind of confident local storytelling." It provides a forum for Media City to advertise its services and build support from potential patrons.
Hamad Omar AlMannai, the CEO of Qatar's Media City, touted his country's foreign policy credentials at the Monday press conference alongside CNN officials.
"There is no better place to host it than in Qatar. As Qatar continues to play an important role as a trusted mediator on the international stage, it is also reinforcing its position as a center for dialogue between regions, cultures, and perspectives," he said. "Global Perspectives complements that role by creating a platform where regional perspectives can be heard and elevated alongside global voices."
The pipeline between CNN and Doha has only strengthened in recent years.
A veteran CNN producer, Monika Plocienniczak, joined the New York-based firm RF Binder in 2023 and soon registered as a foreign agent for the Qatar Foundation, working to "elevate and promote" the state-run nonprofit "within U.S. media," the Free Beacon reported.
CNN also landed in hot water late last year when, shortly after announcing its expansion into Qatar, the network launched a new show that shamelessly promoted the country's cultural sights and shopping galleries. Some CNN staffers at the time "questioned whether this was a quid pro quo with Qatar," according to Puck News's Dylan Byers, while one observer on social media opined: "This is so cringe it hurt."
