Journalist Threatened by Polymarket Bettors Over Iran Missile Report

• Journalist pressured to alter missile report linked to $14M bets
  
• Online gamblers attempted to manipulate war coverage for profit
  
• Threats escalated from messages to personal intimidation and police involvement

On March 10, an Iranian ballistic missile landed in an open, forested area outside the town of Beit Shemesh in Israel. The explosion caused no injuries and only minor damage. Footage captured by a bystander and accounts from first responders indicated it was a direct missile strike.

Once his contacts in the Israeli military confirmed it was indeed a missile strike rather than interceptor debris – fragments from Israel’s air defense system – journalist Emanuel Fabian quickly filed a report for The Times of Israel.

And then the messages started.

‘Correct Your Mistake’

They arrived via emails, text, and social media. Some weren’t so menacing – at least, at first. They simply requested Fabian correct his “mistake” and revise his report to say the explosion had been caused by interceptor debris, not a missile warhead.

If one of you could change everything to interceptor debris, or missile fragments even tonight, it would help a lot,” read one.

At first, Fabian was mystified.

“The footage also shows a massive explosion of hundreds of kilograms of explosives from the warhead,” he replied. “Normally, a fragment does not produce such an explosion.”

But the messages kept coming, and in each case the sender was fixated on the same detail: the explosion had to be reclassified.

When Fabian viewed the profiles of two people who had left messages under his report on X, he noticed both were heavily into Polymarket betting.

In other words, these people were trying to pressure a journalist reporting on a war to distort the truth so they could win their bets.

‘We Will Not Give Up’

Soon, things took a nastier turn when Fabian was contacted via WhatsApp by someone named “Haim.”

“You have exactly half an hour to correct your attempt at influence,” wrote Haim, implying he imagined that the journalist’s report was nothing more than an effort to influence the market. “If you do not correct this by 01:00 Israel time today, March 15, you are bringing upon yourself damage you have never imagined you would suffer.”

Haim called repeatedly. When Fabian did not answer, he sent messages containing personal details about Fabian’s family and where he lived. At one point, Haim claimed he had $900K riding on the outcome.

We will not give up on sums like these,” wrote Haim. “One minute remains…”

Fabian did not change his story. Instead, he wrote a different one about the threats he received from some of Polymarket’s more sinister participants. He also contacted the Israeli police.

Polymarket Statement

When approached for comment, Polymarket condemned the harassment, stating that such behavior violates its terms of service.

“Prediction markets depend on the integrity of independent reporting,” a spokesperson said. “Attempts to pressure journalists to alter their reporting undermine that integrity and undermine the markets themselves.”

The company later said it had banned the accounts involved and would pass their information to the relevant authorities.