Media outlets, including CNN, cannot simply treat UN and ICC figures as neutral, unbiased sources whose claims can be left uncontextualized or unchallenged. In times of war, journalists must be extra careful, too. To do otherwise is to risk playing a part in Hamas’ cynical use of human shields and civilian deaths.
After the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust, whose voices did CNN’s Alaa Elassar choose to elevate? The fringe Jews dedicated to delegitimizing the Jewish state and justifying the acts of terrorism committed against it.
Focusing on NPR's coverage of a single incident – the deadly explosion that took place near the Al-Ahli hospital in Hamas-run Gaza – this detailed analysis is a case study of the methods NPR reporters use to bolster an anti-Israel narrative and run interference for Israel’s enemies.
After setting forth the dueling governmental claims, TIME relayed that a New York Times investigation into the blast was inconclusive, but omits the extensive and fairly conclusive report of the Associated Press.
CNN can’t help itself. Last week, the network was caught uncritically spreading Hamas’s propaganda that Israel struck Al-Ahli hospital on October 17th. A week later, CNN is back at it, once again spreading Hamas claims, but this time deceiving its audience into thinking the terrorist organization's casualty figures came from a legitimate, independent source.
Spreading Hamas propaganda without qualification or context is no different than uncritically airing Islamic State propaganda. Journalists must clearly articulate to their audiences that when they use Hamas casualty figures, they are relying on an internationally designated terrorist organization. The public should know those important factors that weigh on the credibility of such significant claims.
The Washington Post is failing. The newspaper can't help but repeat Hamas propaganda. Worse still, the newspaper is literally justifying the greatest slaughter of Jewish civilians since the Holocaust.
Anna Botting made clear on Tuesday that she had abandoned any pretense of objectivity or even of journalistic curiosity. Her anti-Israel animus was on full display.
When a Human Rights Watch activist was given two chances on MSNBC to talk about the situation in Israel, she used the word “terrorism” only once. No, not in reference to the mass murder, rape, mutilation, torture, and burning alive of 1,400 Israeli men, women, and children at the hands of Palestinian terrorists. Rather, she used it to describe the Israeli Defense Force’s urging of Gazans to evacuate northern Gaza where the IDF intends to strike hard against those Palestinian terrorists.
The number of erroneous and seriously misleading claims contained in just this article raises serious concerns about USA Today’s commitment to accuracy. That the errors all seem to downplay Palestinian terrorism or distort the Israeli and Jewish history similarly raises concern about USA Todays’ commitment to fairness in reporting.
