An AFP article today incorrectly stated that in September Israel completely cut off the Palestinian territories (“Israelis kill armed Palestinian in Gaza Strip”). CAMERA communicated with editors, and the erroneous information was removed in an updated version of the story later in the day. The two versions of the article follow:
Error (AFP, 2/8/06): Closed since September 24 under the complete cutting off of the Palestinian territories by Israel, it [the Karni crossing] was reopened on Sunday.
Correction (Updated story, 2/8/06): The crossing had been closed since mid-January after a security alert but it was reopened on Sunday.
Correction (Updated story, 2/8/06): The crossing had been closed since mid-January after a security alert but it was reopened on Sunday.
AFP is to be commended for promptly correcting the record. 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.