In an astonishing display of insensitivity on CBS’ 60 Minutes this past Sunday, reporter Lesley Stahl spoke with hostages who endured brutal captivity at the hands of Hamas terrorists. Her handling of the interview, where she appeared to shift focus from compassionate reporting to defending the terrorists, has left many viewers outraged.
Stahl interviewed Keith and Aviva Seigel, victims captured during the horrific October 7 attack on Israeli civilians. Aviva recounted her traumatic experience: “I stood here, and they pushed me out of the window while I had to go all the way there. I was in shock.”
Keith shared the subsequent terror they faced: “We were driven into Gaza and then taken into a tunnel, feeling in danger, feeling life-threatened [with] terrorists around us with weapons. We were gasping for breath.”
Keith then detailed the horrific abuse he witnessed, stating, “I witnessed a young woman being tortured by the terrorists. I mean literal torture, not just in the figurative sense.” He shared the horror of being forced to witness such depravity, “I saw [the] sexual assault [of] female hostages.”
Following Aviva’s release during a ceasefire in 2023, Keith’s situation deteriorated. Yet, Stahl’s response to his chilling account seemed aimed at minimizing the terrorists’ actions.
Keith: “The terrorists became very mean and very cruel and very violent, much more so [than before the 2023 ceasefire]. They were beating me and starving me.”
Stahl: “Do you think they starved you, or they just didn’t have food?”
Keith: “No, I think they starved me, as they would often eat in front of me and not offer me food.”
Leslie Stahl’s behavior is monstrous. Her colleagues in her profession (even those on competing outlets) will never criticize her because they’re all in the same, insidious, self-congratulatory club.
— Larry O’Connor
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Stahl’s attempts to rationalize the terrorists’ actions have sparked widespread criticism, with many questioning her journalistic integrity and sensitivity towards the victims. As this controversy unfolds, it raises critical questions about the responsibility of media figures in reporting on such life-and-death matters.
