UPI, McClatchy Remove Erroneous References to Hostages as ‘Prisoners’

August 14, 2024

In response to communication from CAMERA’s Israel office, UPI reporter Darryl Cootes has commendably deleted a reference to the 115 Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas as “prisoners.”

In his UPI’s Aug. 11 article, “China condemns killing of Hamas leaders, supports Iran in defending security“: “. . . U.S. officials have been pushing Israel and Hamas to come to an agreement that would see a halt to the fighting and the exchange of prisoners held by both sides.” (Screenshot at left.)

A wall in Modiin, Israel displaying signs about the hostages (Photo by Tamar Sternthal)

The 115 hostages – snatched mostly from their bedrooms and a dance party, with others kidnapped from their otherwise peaceful army bases – are not “prisoners.” They have not committed crimes and are not being held lawfully. Nor are they awaiting any trial of any kind. They are held incommunicado with no Red Cross visits and in total violation of international law. The captured soldiers are not prisoners of war because until Hamas launched its surprise slaughter and kidnapping spree targeting civilians and soldiers alike, the two sides were not in a state of war.
Indeed, two paragraphs earlier in the article Cootes accurately referred to those in Hamas captivity as hostages, writing: “War between Hamas and Israel began Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a bloody surprise attack on the Middle Eastern country, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking some 250 more hostage.”
But correct usage in one place does not give license for an erroneous characterization elsewhere in the story.
Following CAMERA’s communication with Cootes, the journalist commendably removed the false characterization of the hostages as prisoners. The updated wording refers to “the exchange of those held by both sides.” While accurate and certainly an improvement, this equivalency places innocent hostages held incommunicado by a designated terror organization on the same footing as Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails sentenced for crimes including murders.
McClatchy, which ran the UPI article in at least two dozen newspapers, likewise commendably removed the mislabelling of hostages as “prisoners” following communication from CAMERA. Its updated languge dropped the hostage issue entirely from the reference to an ceasefire deal, stating now only: “… U.S. officials have been pushing Israel and Hamas to come to an agreement that would see a halt to the fighting.”

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