New York Times Says It “Relied Too Heavily” On Hamas Claims In Initial Reporting On Gaza Hospital Blast
deadline.comThe New York Times acknowledged that it “relied too heavily” on Hamas’ claims about the source of a blast at al-Ahli Hospital last week in Gaza, as the Times and other mainstream outlets came under intense criticism for initial reports on the explosion.
The early reports in the Times, Reuters and the Associated Press, led with claims by Hamas government officials that it was an Israeli airstrike.
In an editor’s note, The Times wrote that “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, and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified.
The report left readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was.” Israel denied responsibility for the blast, blaming it on an errant missile launched by Islamic Jihad.
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