Jim Clancy leaves CNN after 34 years following abusive Twitter exchange with Pro-Israel activists

CNN anchor Jim Clancy has left the network one week after a bizarre exchange with pro-Israel activists on Twitter about the terrorist outrages in Paris, in which he derided his opponents as the “hasbara team” and used a derogatory term for disabled people.

The news was broken by industry publication Adweek, which linked to The Algemeiner‘s extensive reporting of the scandal, noting that Clancy’s departure “comes just days after the veteran journalist had an extended debate via Twitter over the Charlie Hebdo cartoons.”


CNN, however, made no mention of the scandal as it paid tribute to Clancy’s 34 years of service with the channel. “Jim Clancy is no longer with CNN. We thank him for more than three decades of distinguished service, and wish him nothing but the best,” a CNN spokesperson said.

In a short statement, Clancy said: “After nearly 34 years with Cable News Network, the time has come to say Farewell! It has been my honor to work alongside all of you for all of these years. This is one of the greatest news organizations in the world. It has truly revolutionized information delivery while driving technological advances in how we gather the news. Through it all, CNN has been a family to my own family. That means something. As I reflect on all of the great adventures and achievements of the past, I wish you great success in the future.”

The anchor’s departure follows yesterday’s revelation that his Twitter account had been deactivated. In his clash with pro-Israel advocates, Clancy – whose obsession with Israeli settlement policy is well-known among CNN viewers – angrily responded to one of his detractors with the word, “Hasbara?” (“Hasbara,” the Hebrew word for “explaining,” is often invoked by Israel’s opponents to dismiss views with which they disagree, even when, as in this case, the matter at hand has nothing to do with Israel.)

As his ire rose, Clancy dismissed another user by saying, “Get a grip, junior. It’s my Friday night. You and the Hasbara team need to pick on some cripple on the edge of the herd.”

Jay Ruderman, the head of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities in the Jewish community, informed Clancy on Twitter that the word “cripple” is derogatory. The anchor’s response was to block both Ruderman’s personal account and the account of the Ruderman Foundation.

Yesterday, Ruderman told The Algemeiner that an “organization held in the esteem that CNN is held in should use this as a teaching moment.”