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The NYT Issues 'Editors Note' for Its Malpractice on False Hospital Bombing, Makes Matters Worse

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Oct 23, 2023
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

10.23.23

Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – THE NEW YORK TIMES

It has been nearly one week since the errant rocket sent from inside Gaza landed near a hospital and was flash-reported across the news spectrum as a direct assault by Israel. This morning, The Times finally got around to addressing its coverage of this non-attack, and it is as milquetoast and inefficient of a mealy apology in an Editor's Note on the matter:

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.

That's certainly one way to describe swallowing wholesale the Hamas-fed details from the terror group. Note in all of the five paragraphs of worming out of full responsibility that its account of delivering false premises, slanted coverage, with insinuating photos that helped inspire protests, embassy riots, and the canceling of peace accord meetings with President Biden there is no mention of the word "misinformation."

Anti-Social Media – THE NEW YORK TIMES

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It is staggering how many members of the media, after the last few years of accusing anyone with charges of anti-Semitism, have been revealed as sympathetic to the Hamas cause or even openly hostile to Israel. Add to the ranks Soliman Hijjy, a Palestinian who worked with The Times until he was outed as having numerous social media posts with praise/sympathy for Adolf Hitler. The paper cut professional ties with Hijjy when this became exposed, but then, in amazingly tone-deaf fashion, he has not only been rehired by the outlet, but it was done just days after the brutal initial attacks by Hamas.

Glossary Over Things – NEW YORK MAGAZINE

  • Look, when you are going to this length to excuse away horrific acts, it is just time to be set free into the wilderness.

The revelation recently of some international reporters in Israel detailing some of the carnage and absolute inhumanity committed by Hamas, as witnessed with the evidence seen from the bodies collected, has many sympathizers scrambling to explain away their defense of the atrocities the past couple of weeks.

Possibly struggling the most is Eric Levitz. After he took the contrarian position by doubting reports that victims – including children – had their heads removed by the attackers, he is now in the desperate mode of attempting to parse the definitions in order to extract himself from the untenable position he placed himself into. It is not going well.

He quite literally is taking a position that the presence of victims with heads removed are not necessarily victims of beheadings. Uh…huh…

Pulitzer Prize Nomination – CNN

  • Putting the cartography before the horse, as it were.

You always have to enjoy when those lecturing down to the rabble on an important subject display abject errors in their expertise. In this example, we have CNN – which has had no lack of elitist approaches to the Israeli conflict – completely butchering a map of the nation and placing prominent cities in the wrong locations.

But sure, keep talking down to us, you "experts."

News Avoidance Syndrome – VARIOUS OUTLETS

  • We are almost surprised they have not ruled out homicide for the stabbing victim.

It is a grim story in any event and possibly made worse by circumstances as yet shown applicable. A prominent synagogue president in Detroit, Samantha Woll, was discovered stabbed to death in front of her home. Think back to any time racial attacks are covered or there are perceived threats said to be imminent toward Muslims, the press leaps to accusatory reports of targeted violence and words of warning against Islamophobia.

Yet, in the current climate of this country regarding Jewish citizens and Palestinians, when there is a murder of a religious Hebrew figure, the first thing they have ruled out is this being a hate crime.

Curious how this is arrived at when there is not even a suspect who has been brought into custody.

Reporting on the Mirror – THE DAILY SHOW

  • If telling jokes on the news is akin to military service, we could become admirals around here!

There have been times when journalists have shamelessly likened themselves to heroic figures. Katy Tur infamously likened her profession to firefighters rushing into a blazing building. In The Atlantic, Alexander Nazaryan claimed that covering Trump was like storming the beaches of Normandy. Now, joining their ranks is another, which may be even more pathetic, as it comes not from a journalist but a fake reporter.

Roy Wood Jr. is a comedian who serves as a "correspondent" on The Daily Show. That is, he pretends to be a reporter in order to mock news items and political figures. Wood Jr. is leaving the show, mostly due to his not being tabbed to replace Trevor Noah as the host (a position still unfilled after almost a year), and he gave an interview to Rolling Stone about his departure. In it, he states that since that show sometimes deals with tough stories, they are basically the front lines of the military. Yes, seriously:

“No one wants to be the show that has to talk about the tough times. Everybody wants to be the show that counterprograms tough times. We are more like the Marines. We are running in head first into some of this sh**.”

"Riffed from the Headlines" is Townhall's daily VIP feature with coverage on the deeply flawed aspects of journalism in the nation, where Brad Slager looks to bring accountability to the mishaps, malaprops, misdeeds, manipulations, malpractice, and manufactured narratives in mainstream media.