The New York Times has admitted, in a lengthy article retraction, that their reporting on the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization is overly reliant on sources pushing pro-Hamas talking points. A story ran by the Times last week claimed the explosion that hit a Gaza hospital’s parking lot was the result of an Israeli airstrike. The story’s headline and content – which was damning towards Israel – the Times now admits was entirely too reliant on the word of the Hamas terrorist organization.
“The Times’s initial accounts attributed the claim of Israeli responsibility to Palestinian officials, and noted that the Israeli military said it was investigating the blast. However, the early versions of the coverage — and the prominence it received in a headline, news alert and social media channels — relied too heavily on claims by Hamas,” the New York Times editor’s note reads. “The report left readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was.”
The initial reports stating Israel was responsible for the hospital explosion resulting in civilian deaths sparked violent unrest across the Middle East. Radical leftist Members of the U.S. Congress parroted the Times report, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib telling protestors outside the U.S. Capitol that Israel was responsible for the bombing.
The violent fallout from the false media narrative pushed by the New York Times and other outlets undeniably caused additional harm in the ongoing conflict which started when Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,000 Israeli civilians and took over 200 hostage.
“Given the sensitive nature of the news during a widening conflict, and the prominent promotion it received, Times editors should have taken more care with the initial presentation, and been more explicit about what information could be verified,” the New York Times is now admitting.