Following communication with CAMERA staff, the Washington Post today corrected an article which wrongly claimed that Israel had not allowed building materials to enter the Gaza Strip in five years. In fact, U.N. figures show that more than 40,000 truckloads of construction material have entered Gaza from Israel since June 2010, earmarked for projects sponsored by international aid organizations.
The Post is the latest in a string of media outlets to correct the very same error, including National Public Radio (an on air correction will air today), the Los Angeles Times, the International Herald Tribune and the Associated Press.
The Washington Post error and correction follow:
Error (Washington Post, Abigail Hauslohner, 1/6/13): . . . last Sunday, Israel allowed a cargo of building materials to enter Gaza for the first time in years.
Correction (1/9/13): A Jan. 6 A-section article about children growing up in the Gaza Strip incorrectly said that Israel recently allowed building materials to enter Gaza for the first time in years. The materials were the first for the private sector in five years; Israel had previously allowed the entry of some construction materials for Israeli-approved projects carried out by international aid organizations.
Today’s Post correction is the second correction that CAMERA has prompted at that paper in two days. CAMERA commends the Post for its timely correction of factual errors. Earlier corrected errors can be seen here.