AP Touches Up Bio For “Our Heroic Martyr”

By: Tamar Sternthal August 2, 2022

According to Islamic Jihad, 17-year-old Dherar al-Kafrini, killed during an Israeli arrest raid in Jenin last night, is one of their own. “Our heroic martyr,” as the Palestinian terrorist organization put it.

For Associated Press, that makes al-Kafrini a prime candidate for a biographical touch up. 

The leading news agency, which promises “world-class content,” has an enduring habit of airbrushing out the terror affiliation of Palestinian fatalities.

Thus, multiple Associated Press captions today about al-Kafrini’s funeral all ignore the fact that Islamic Jihad identified him as one of its fighters. The only biographical information that the news agency provides about al-Kafrini is that he was 17.

“Bring stories to life,” exults AP, even as it buries the inconvenient facts about Palestinian casualties in the proverbial coffin.

A sampling of today’s problematic captions follows. Some of the photos show Al-Kafrini’s body decked out with PIJ’s logo, a visual affirmation of the affiliation which AP steadfastly ignores. The first image below is designated as an “APTOPIX,” granting it greater visibility.

A mourner cries while she takes the last look at the body of Dherar al-kafrini, 17 years old, at the family house during his funeral in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. Al-kafrini was killed and another Palestinian wounded during an Israeli military raid late Monday in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

 

Mourners cries after taking their last look at the body of Dherar al-kafrini, 17 years old, at the family house during his funeral in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. Al-kafrini was killed and another Palestinian wounded during an Israeli military raid late Monday in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

 

Mourners carry the body of Dherar al-kafrini, 17 years old, during his funeral in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. Al-kafrini was killed and another Palestinian was wounded during an Israeli military raid late Monday in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

 

Agence France Presse, unlike AP, responsibly reports in its captions: “Islamic Jihad identified the teenager as al-Kafrini, and said he was a member of the group and ‘our heroic martyr’.”
Furthermore, an AFP article commendably today reports (“Israeli army closes areas near Gaza citing reprisal risks”):

A 17-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces during a late Monday raid in the flashpoint West Bank district of Jenin.

Islamic Jihad identified the teenager as Dirar al-Kafrayni, and said he was a member of the group and “our heroic martyr”.

Not only does AP withhold the information from its captions, it also omits it from its news stories.

CAMERA has contacted the news agency asking editors to update the captions and news stories to include the fact that Al-Kafrini was a member of Islamic Jihad. Stay tuned for any updates.

Meanwhile, Times of Israel responded promptly when notified that its coverage lacked information about Al-Khalifi’s Islamic Jihad membership. After initially neglecting to note the affiliation, the updated article now states:

Islamic Jihad identified the teenager as Dirar al-Kafrayni, 17, and said he was a member of the group and “our heroic martyr.”

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