Associated Press called out for headline on death of terror leader: ‘Charismatic and shrewd’

Social media users blasted the Associated Press for its recent obituary headline for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, describing it as kinder to the terror leader than the outlet’s obituary for late U.S. senator Jim Inhofe.

The AP News headline marking Nasrallah’s death this week referred to the Hezbollah boss as "charismatic and shrewd," while the outlet’s headline for Inhofe’s death in July painted the late lawmaker in a bad light, reminding readers he "called human-caused climate change a ‘hoax.’"

Observant X users noticed the difference in tone between the two obituaries. Prominent conservative account @AGHamilton29 remarked, "This is actual enemy of the people stuff." He also noted that the article left out Hezbollah’s "entire history of terrorism, describes their mass starvation and murder as ‘taken part in the conflict in neighboring Syria’, and tries to paint him as a ‘moderate.’"

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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed by an IDF strike in Beirut this week.  (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that Nasrallah was killed in its strike against the group’s headquarters in Lebanon on Friday. According to the military group, Nasrallah was responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians and soldiers, as well as the planning and execution of thousands of terrorist activities around the world. 

The IDF said Nasrallah was one of Hezbollah's co-founders as well as its central decision-maker and the strategic leader. The terror group confirmed his death following the IDF’s announcement.

The Associated Press published its obituary on Friday for Nasrallah, with the original headline, "Charismatic and shrewd: A look at longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah." An updated version of the piece featured a new headline, stating, "Who was longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah?" But an Internet Archive search confirmed the existence of the more generous title.

In addition to the controversial headline, the outlet waited before referring Hezbollah as a terror group, only referring to the organization’s terrorist designation by the U.S. at around the 14th paragraph of the article.

Rather, the outlet referred to Hezbollah as a "Lebanese militant group," and "one of the most powerful paramilitary groups in the Middle East." The report also described the Nasrallah as a "fiery, charismatic leader."

X users compared AP’s characterization of Nasrallah to the outlet’s characterization of Inhofe in its obituary for the late lawmaker following his death in July, suggesting that the outlet was far gentler with the terror leader than it was with the Republican lawmaker.

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X users complained that the Associated Press was more critical of late U.S. senator Jim Inhofe in an obituary than it was in its obituary of late terror leader Hassan Nasrallah. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

AGHamilton posted screenshots of both obituaries side-by-side, commenting, "AP on the death of a Republican Senator vs The possible death of a terror leader responsible for tens of thousands of deaths."

The headline for AP’s Inhofe obituary read, "Former US Sen. Jim Inhofe, defense hawk who called human-caused climate change a ‘hoax,’ dies at 89."

The conservative commentator’s post prompted a deluge of criticism from other X users who were outraged at the outlet’s apparent disparate treatment of the two men. 

Conservative political cartoonist Seamus Coughlin commented, "you do not have a low enough opinion of the media."

Reporter Salena Zito declared, "This is shameful."

Talk radio host Mark Simone pointed to AG’s comparison as "A great example of how corrupt and slanted the legacy media have become."

Radiologist and National Review columnist Pradheep Shanker asked, "Why should we respect journalists?"

Human rights lawyer Hillel Neuer blasted AP’s characterization of Nasrallah, stating, "@AP I'm sorry for your loss. ‘Charismatic and shrewd.... an astute strategist... considered a pragmatist... idolized by his Lebanese Shiite followers... respected by millions across the Arab and Islamic world...’ Maybe next time, speak to his victims."

When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, a representative for the Associated Press said, "The headline did not accurately reflect the substance of the story, and we changed it accordingly."

Fox News Digital’s Peter Aitken, Lorraine Taylor, Landon Mion, and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.