Overview
- DW said it will not commission Iraq reporter Amal Saqr and Gaza‑based freelancer Mohammed Al‑Kahlout while it examines the allegations.
- Reports cite Saqr calling then‑US President Joe Biden a “zionist dog,” sharing a map that omitted Israel, and later praising a fabricated kidnapping claim.
- Al‑Kahlout is accused of posts lauding Hamas as “freedom fighters,” featuring Hamas symbols and maps without Israel; he told DW he was only tagged, a point BILD disputes by citing Instagram’s co‑creator feature.
- DW stated it had not known of the private social‑media content, said the posts contradict its values, Code of Conduct and Declaration of Values, and noted the accusations do not pertain to DW’s published reporting.
- DW pointed to a values‑based recruiting policy since March 2023 that screens up to six months of public, professional accounts, raising questions over gaps in vetting older or private posts after a prior antisemitism scandal in its Arabic unit.