CAMERA Prompts AP Correction on Temple Mount Visit

In response to CAMERA’s communication with Associated Press editors, the wire service today corrected an error and a misrepresentation about Ariel Sharon’s September 2000 visit to the Temple Mount. The article, datelined Damascus and entitled “Palestinians in Syria demonstrate to mark 5th anniversary of uprising,” was on the wire today. The original and updated, improved versions follow:

Error (AP, 9/28/05): The uprising followed a Sept. 28, 2000 visit by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, then in opposition, to the al Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s most sacred sites in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Correction (Updated story same day): The uprising followed a Sept. 28, 2000 visit by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, then in opposition, to the Aqsa Mosque compound, one of the holiest sites in Islam. The compound also is sacred to Jews as the site of the ancient Jewish temples.

(It should be noted that the Temple Mount is the most sacred site in Judaism.) Corrections on wire stories the day they appear on the wire are especially valuable and reflect a proactive achievement, because the following day newspapers around the world will print the correct information and not propagate the misinformation.

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