Chicago Tribune Prints Correction

In response to concerns raised by CAMERA the Chicago Tribune has printed a partial correction of a misleading Nov. 17 article. CAMERA criticized the story by Uli Schmetzer entitled “War of Attrition Claims Beloved Medic,” for misrepresenting a quotation from an Israeli soldier and misreporting the chronology of fighting in the Gilo-Beit Jala region as well as the threat that Jewish residents of Gilo face.

The correction, published on Dec. 8, states:

A Nov. 17 story about a developing war of attrition between Israel and the Palestinians contained an incomplete and possibly misleading quotation from an article in the Jerusalem Post. The full quotation, from a Sgt. Raz, an Israeli sharpshooter, was as follows: ‘I shot two people . . . in their knees. It’s supposed to break their bones and neutralize them but not kill them. How did I feel? . . . Well, actually, I felt pretty satisfied with myself. I felt I could do what I was trained to do and it gave me a lot of self-confidence to think that if we get into a real war situation I’d be able to defend my comrades and myself.’

Schmetzer’s incomplete rendition of the Jerusalem Post quote did not include the soldier’s final sentence, that he was satisfied because he would be able to protect himself and his comrades.

News organizations which promptly correct their errors should be recognized for their commitment to factual reporting. The Chicago Tribune deserves praise for correcting its misquotation of Sgt. Raz, the Israeli soldier, but should be faulted for leaving uncorrected its flawed chronology of the fighting in the Gilo-Beit Jalla area.

 

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