LONDON: South Korean-Vietnamese comedian Chung Won-hu has urged people to check the credibility of news they share online, and slammed some media coverage of the Israel-Hamas war as “narrative manipulation” and “propaganda.”

Chung, a bilingual television personality born in Jeddah and raised in Amman, said he wanted to “raise his voice in English” about how claims of Hamas beheading babies spread like “wildfire” and how misinformation can wreak damaging consequences.

“I want to highlight a narrative that is often not heard by the international community. There is a propaganda machine at work, and its misinformation and narrative manipulation has led to this war,” he said.

“It alters the truth by making outrageous claims like: ‘They beheaded children,’” he added.

Citing the White House backtracking on claims that Hamas militants beheaded Israeli children during an attack on a kibbutz, and CNN reporter Sara Sidner’s apology for not verifying the information, Chung said: “It was fake news, but the damage was done; it spread like wildfire on social media. These false narratives have devastating consequences.”

Calling for international law to be upheld and for those responsible for crimes against civilians to be held accountable, he added: “The truth is on the side of those who seek justice, equality and peace.”