The New York Times is finally responding to outcries over hasty and unsupported claims made in its initial reporting of an explosion at a hospital in Gaza last week. The paper was blasted for propagating information from Hamas terrorists, blaming Israel for the explosion.
The newspaper issued the statement Monday, five days after running a headline on its front page, above the fold, reading: “Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say.”
“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,” the editors’ note said.
“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, and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified.”
Times editors further acknowledged that “the report left readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was.”
While they claim Times reporters were quick to edit the story on the website as Israeli officials denied striking the hospital, “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.
[h/t The New York Post]
NY Times admits its coverage of Gaza hospital blast relied too heavily on Hamas claims https://t.co/fc18hQOn39 . Click to read ⬇️
— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) October 23, 2023
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