The New York Times suffers from a unique journalistic malady: denial denial. No, that’s not a typo.
“Diligently seek subjects of news coverage to allow them to respond to criticism or allegations of wrongdoing,” instructs the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. Denials are one type of response to allegations of wrongdoing. When journalists report a critic’s accusation, they are supposed to note the subject’s denial of that accusation if there is one.
Covering the disputed accusation that Israel’s military targeted masses of civilians seeking humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, The New York Times denied that Israel’s unambiguous denial was just that. In a word salad jumble, The Gray Lady recasts Israel’s denial into a plausible confirmation.
On June 1, in response to Hamas’ media-amplified claims that Israeli forces fired on civilians collecting aid in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces published this unequivocal denial:
False reports have been spread In recent hours, including serious allegations against the IDF regarding fire toward Gazan residents in the area of the humanitarian aid distribution site in Gaza.
Findings from an initial inquiry indicate that the IDF did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false. [Emphasis in original.]
The IDF is cooperating with the GHF and international aid organizations in order to enable the distribution of aid to Gazan residents—and not to Hamas.
The IDF calls on the media to be cautious with information published by the Hamas terrorist organization, as proven in many previous incidents.
Thus, while Israel has adamantly rejected Hamas accusations that it fatally shot more than 20 near an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip on June 1, at no point does The New York Times report that Israel denied the serious accusation of targeting civilians. Worse, it suggests that the army’s statement confirmed responsibility for casualties. In their June 1 report, Aaron Boxerman and Ameera Harouda obscure the denial with verbal gymnastics (“More Than 20 Killed Near Aid Distribution Site in Gaza, Health Officials Say“):
The Israeli military initially said it was unaware of any injuries from Israeli fire at the site, but a military later briefed reporters that troops had fired warning shots toward “suspects” who approached them about a kilometer away. [Emphasis added.]
The pivotal “but” suggests that Israel has walked back its initial stated lack of awareness of any injuries, and has indeed confirmed responsibility for casualties, or at least allowed for the plausibility of responsibility.
The article’s muddled sub-headline likewise conceals the Israeli denial, positioning it instead as a potential confirmation of sorts: “The Palestinians were shot and scores wounded as huge crowds assembled to try and get food from a new aid distribution center. An Israeli military official said soldiers fires warning shots.”
The Times’ concealment of the IDF denial is a multi-day affair, with another story today dumping the denial (“Israeli Soldiers Open Fire Near Gaza Aid Site. Gaza Health Officials Say 27 Are Killed“):
Israeli soldiers also opened fire on Sunday near an approach to the same food distribution site, in an incident that Palestinian officials said killed at least 23 people.
The Associated Press’ coverage, in contrast, indicates that it’s possible to report the disputed fatalities without operating under the influence of “denial denial.” Thus, the news agency headline clearly states: “31 Palestinians are killed heading to a Gaza aid site, witnesses say. Israel denies responsibility.”
Moreover, the AP’s accompanying article gives a straightforward account of Israel’s denial in the second paragraph:
Israel’s military denied its forces fired at civilians near or within the site in the southern city of Rafah. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with procedure, said troops fired warning shots at several suspects advancing toward them overnight.
Unlike The Times’ convoluted “Israel says it was unaware BUT” reporting, AP’s transparent reporting of Israel’s denial places the official’s statement about the firing of warning shots in that context.
Furthermore, AP reported:
The military also released drone footage it said was shot Sunday, apparently in daylight, in the southern city of Khan Younis, showing what it said were armed, masked men firing at civilians trying to collect aid. The Associated Press could not independently verify the video, and it was not clear who was being targeted. “Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza,” the statement said.
Notably, the Paper of Record completely ignored the IDF’s release of the video that it says shows armed Hamas men firing on civilians seeking to collect food from the distribution site.