What do you do when you have a story ripe for sensationalist coverage that drives engagement and profits? Normally, if you are in the “content” business, you play it up and make it sound as compelling as possible, right?
Something isn’t just bad; it’s a crisis. AI doesn’t present dangers, but it will kill us all…
But what happens when the story doesn’t fit The Narrative™? You have to cover the story and want it to be riveting, but you also don’t want the Wrong™ people to think the Wrong™ thing.
You play up the excitement factor, but change or downplay the damaging parts.
BREAKING: A pilot on an Israeli-bound flight stabbed another pilot and tried to crash the plane, but others subdued the attack, Netanyahu said. https://t.co/4l2ZGkbqsH
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 30, 2026
In what appears to be an obvious terrorist attempt, a co-pilot on a flight to Israel stabbed the pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane. The plane was a FlyDubai aircraft on its way to Israel, was filled with Israelis, and the Saudis have arrested the perpetrator.
The only reason the attack didn’t succeed is that the pilot, while bleeding out from multiple stab wounds, managed to open the cockpit door, and the Israeli passengers stormed the cockpit, subdued the co-pilot, and Israeli pilots landed the plane in Saudi Arabia, where everybody has been well treated.
FlyDubai passengers cower and scream as plane plunges 18K feet in suspected ‘jihadist terrorist attack’ https://t.co/KSsMqNhwDS pic.twitter.com/KUbrXi1Ovl
— New York Post (@nypost) September 30, 2026
There’s video. Every angle of the story is truly riveting. And Pravda is playing it down as a “fight” in the cockpit. The New York Post, always with a tabloid angle, is one of the few giving gripping details.
Terrified FlyDubai passengers – including children – were filmed screaming and cowering in fear as their flight to Israel plummeted 18,000 feet during Wednesday’s suspected “jihadist terrorist attack.”
Some of the 174 passengers were seen clutching their seats as others appeared to brace themselves, fearing the jet was about to crash, video seen by the Times of Israel shows.
One clip showed the Boeing 737 Max plane tilting at an angle while a handful of passengers tentatively made their way toward the cockpit — where others were seen trying to save the stabbed pilot’s life as others pinned down the bloodied suspect, the co-pilot.
Other powerless passengers on the Tel Aviv-bound flight just tried to console their loved ones amid the mid-air commotion.
“I heard a struggle,” one passenger, known only as Daniel, told Israel’s Channel 12, after the plane landed in Saudi Arabia thanks to the brave efforts of two off-duty “relief” pilots, one of whom is believed to be a Brit.
“Three Israelis who were sitting behind me came to see what was happening, and the plane suddenly went into a very steep dive, nose down, with a very intense spin.”
No doubt the excuse for the muted coverage will be “we wanted to gather the facts,” and I would be sympathetic to that excuse, but for the fact that the media NEVER waits for the details. Perhaps it should, but with an “if it bleeds, it leads” mentality and a habit of turning private school kids getting harassed by “Native American Elders” into racist monsters, I call bulls**t on that.
Did this altercation perhaps involve an Omani terrorist trying to murder a pilot and then nose-dive a plane full of Israeli passengers into the ground? https://t.co/WOKh71M7He
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 30, 2026
The media does narrative control, not careful vetting of information. Every story that fits the Narrative™ is played up, even if the facts don’t support the conclusion they want you to make. Think “epidemic of lynchings,” which is a hoax.
The moment the Fly Dubai flight landed in Saudi Arabia:
Flightradar data showed that the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv descended 14,000 feet in just one minute. Authorities believe the co-pilot was trying to crash the plane in a terror attack and kill all passengers…
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) September 30, 2026
This is another example of narrative control. The last thing any of these people want is another Islamist terror attack, and particularly not one that mirrors 9/11.
Muslim co-pilot stabs pilot and tries to take down plane with 180 passengers
Media: pic.twitter.com/2sfYv2nI2M
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 30, 2026
This story has everything, including a happy ending, and even Muslims taking care of Jews in Saudi Arabia of all places. No doubt we will see plenty of that footage, which is fine. It’s a great story. But the most gripping parts will be sanitized as much as reasonably possible.
WATCH: Israeli passengers receive assistance from a Saudi crew after a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia https://t.co/9CWoKpf6vv pic.twitter.com/TDKbFOMQFn
— Arab News (@arabnews) September 30, 2026
In a sane world, all stories in the media, at least in the first few hours, would be treated as dryly as possible until the facts begin to solidify. But that isn’t how it works in this world, where emotional impact is everything, and people manipulate it to create indelible impressions that serve those spreading the news.
Perhaps the co-pilot just went nuts, and it’s a strange coincidence that the plane was full of Israelis. In which case, all the hedging was warranted.
But it’s also true that if the pilots were Israelis flying a jet full of Muslims going on the Hajj, that would be in the headlines being screamed.
Lesson? Watch for the tells that say “this is being managed by somebody with a motive.”
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