Agence France Presse, an influential wire service whose stories are republished around the world, in an article published earlier today originally appended the term “alleged” to describe actual, murderous terror attacks by Palestinians, as if it was just an unsubstantiated accusation by Israel. After intervention by CAMERA, the wire service corrected the article.
Error (AFP, July 20, 4:03 AM GMT): The legislation was put forward after three Arab-Israeli opposition lawmakers sparked controversy when they visited relatives of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces after alleged attacks in Israel.
Correction (AFP, July 20, 11:40 AM GMT): The legislation was put forward after three Arab-Israeli opposition lawmakers sparked controversy when they visited relatives of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces while carrying out attacks.
As noted earlier today on CAMERA’s Snapshots
blog,
Haviv Haim, Alon Govberg and Richard Lakin were not killed in an “alleged” attack on Oct. 13 when Bahaa Alyan boarded their Egged bus in East Talpiot, indiscriminately shooting and stabbing passengers. Alyan’s father was among the Palestinian relatives with whom MKs Basel Ghattas, Jamal Zahalka and Hanin Zuabi met last February.
Bahaa Alyan was one of two terrorists who boarded a Jerusalem bus on Oct. 13, 2015, indiscriminately shooting and stabbing, killing three Israelis
Indeed, AFP’s headline and article at the time of the MKs’ visit to the terrorists’ families got it exactly right: “Israeli leaders slam MPs who met attackers’ families.” AFP’s Feb. 5 headline rightly refers to “attackers’ families,” not “alleged attackers’ families.”
This quick correction underscores the value of CAMERA’s work monitoring and responding to wire stories in the same news cycle as they appear. With this timely, preemptive work, CAMERA’s Israel
office helps prevent misinformation from appearing in media outlets around the world.
For more AFP corrections prompted by CAMERA, see here.
