In an editorial, a North American media outlet said the report on the explosion relied “too much” on Hamas allegations
The New York Times said on Monday (October 23, 2023) that it made errors in its reporting of the explosion at AlAhli Hospital in the Gaza Strip.
In an editorial, the American newspaper’s editors said that while initial reports about the vehicle blaming Israel for the explosion were attributed to the Palestinian authorities, the published information relied “too much” on Hamas allegations and ” “didn’t correspond to reality.” It was clear that the extremist group’s statements “could not be immediately verified.”
Hamas said Israel was responsible for the explosion at AlAhli Hospital on October 17. The Israeli government said it was investigating the case. Statements from those involved in the conflict led to a war of versions about the explosion (Read more below).
“Given the sensitivity of the news story during an escalating conflict and the highprofile publicity it received, Times editors should have exercised more care when initially presenting it [dos fatos] and made it clearer what information could be verified,” the New York Times text said.
Read the translation of the editorial published by the North American newspaper:
“On October 17, The New York Times published news of an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City, guiding its coverage through claims by Hamas government officials that an Israeli airstrike was the cause and that hundreds of people were killed or injured. The coverage included a large headline at the top of the Times website.
“Israel then denied guilt and blamed it on a failed missile launch [realizado] by the Palestinian extremist group Islamic Jihad, which in turn denied responsibility. U.S. and other international officials said their evidence suggested the missile came from Palestinian fighting positions.
“Initial reports in the Times attributed the claim of Israeli responsibility to Palestinian officials and noted that the Israeli military said it was investigating the explosion. However, early versions of the reporting and the prominence it gained in headlines, news stories and on social media relied too heavily on Hamas’ claims and did not make it clear that these claims could not be immediately verified. The report left readers with a false impression of what was known and how credible the report was.
“The Times continued to update its reporting as more information became available, reporting on the disputed claims of responsibility and noting that the death toll may be lower than initially reported. Within two hours, the headline and other text at the top of the site reported the extent of the explosion and the dispute over responsibility. [da explosão].
“Given the sensitivity of news during an escalating conflict and the prominent promotion of it [elas] After receiving the information, Times editors should have taken more care in the initial presentation and made clearer what information could be verified. Newsroom leaders continue to review procedures related to major breaking news events including the use of major headlines in online reporting to determine what additional protections may be warranted.”
VERSION WAR
Those involved in the war presented different narratives about the AlAhli Hospital bombing that took place on Tuesday (October 17). After the blast, Hamas blamed Israel, saying in a statement that the blast was a crime of “genocide” and revealed “the ugly side of the enemy and his fascist and terrorist government.”
On October 18, the staterun Palestinian news agency Wafa reported he said that “after a hospital was bombed […] Israel committed another horrific massacre by bombing a mosque in Nuseirat.”
Israel explained, using photos, videos and audio, that the explosion that hit the hospital was caused by a rocket from the Islamic Jihad group. He said that this organization fired about 10 rockets from a cemetery near the hospital in the early evening of October 17.
The USA also commented on the case. The country’s president, Joe Biden, said that the bombing was not sponsored by Israel. “Based on what I saw, it looks like it was done by the other team, not you,” the American told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 18.
In addition to what Biden said, a preliminary report from the US National Security Council shows that Tel Aviv is not responsible for the explosion. The UN (United Nations) said it must investigate the case itself.