NY Times’ erroneous cover photo of Gazan child joins series of media blunders framing stories against Israel Joseph A. Wulfsohn
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ny-times-erroneous-cover-photo-100031670.html
The New York Times recently attempted to downplay a significant error that was plastered on its front page. But when it comes to the legacy media’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, the Gray Lady is in good company.
Last month, the Times ran the somber headline, “Young, Old and Sick Starve to Death in Gaza: ‘There Is Nothing.’” Accompanying it was a grim image of a malnourished infant and his mother. The caption read, “Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, about 18 months, with his mother, Hedaya al-Mutawaq, who said he was born healthy but was recently diagnosed with severe malnutrition. A doctor said the number of children dying of malnutrition in Gaza had risen sharply.”
Critics quickly called out the Times for prominently featuring Mohammed, whose image was featured by numerous other media outlets, without mentioning that he has a genetic disorder.
The Times finally addressed the major omission on Tuesday with an editors’ note buried underneath the lengthy story that had already circulated for more than four days.
“This article has been updated to include information about Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, a child in Gaza suffering from severe malnutrition. After publication of the article, the Times learned from his doctor that Mohammed also had pre-existing health problems,” the editors’ note stated.
A spokesperson for the Times released a statement saying, “Children in Gaza are malnourished and starving, as New York Times reporters and others have documented. We recently ran a story about Gaza’s most vulnerable civilians, including Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, who is about 18 months old and suffers from severe malnutrition. We have since learned new information, including from the hospital that treated him and his medical records, and have updated our story to add context about his pre-existing health problems. This additional detail gives readers a greater understanding of his situation.”
“Our reporters and photographers continue to report from Gaza, bravely, sensitively, and at personal risk, so that readers can see firsthand the consequences of the war,” the statement added.
Notably, that statement was shared by the Times’ communications account, which has less than 90,000 followers on X, and not the Times’ main account, which has more than 55 million followers.
The Times wasn’t alone. Outlets across the globe, including the BBC and NPR, similarly promoted such images without the context of the child’s genetic disorder.
Ever since Hamas carried out its gruesome terrorist attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, news organizations have largely framed the war as the Jewish State carrying out a disproportionate military response and being responsible for the suffering among the civilians in Gaza. And in doing so, several reports were walked back for various errors that all side against Israel and for the benefit of the Palestinian cause.
Within days of Oct. 7, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry claimed that Israel bombed Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital through an airstrike that resulted in over 500 civilian casualties.
Subsequent reporting and intelligence found there was an explosion in the hospital’s parking lot stemming from a misfired rocket fired by Hamas ally Islamic Jihad, resulting in a death toll a tiny fraction of what Hamas had first alleged.
The New York Times published the headline “Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say.” The paper later admitted it “relied too heavily on claims by Hamas, and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified.”
CNN similarly pushed the narrative, running the headline, “Israel hits hospital and school in Gaza as blockade puts healthcare system in state of ‘collapse.’” The headline was later changed to “Hundreds likely dead in Gaza hospital blast, as Israeli blockade cripples medical response.” CNN, too, issued a correction.
“This article on the Gaza hospital blast initially did not clearly attribute claims about Israel’s responsibility to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza,” CNN’s correction read. “Israel later said a ‘misfired’ rocket by militant group Islamic Jihad caused the blast and produced evidence to support its claim. US President Joe Biden said the Israeli position is backed by US intelligence. CNN’s forensic analysis of images and videos suggests a rocket fired from within Gaza caused the blast, not an Israeli airstrike.”
As documented by journalist Drew Holden, a slew of news outlets fell for Hamas’ falsehood, including The Associated Press, Reuters, CBS News, The Washington Post, MSNBC, Politico, Axios and the BBC. Some never issued corrections.
Several news organizations falsely blamed Israel for an explosion that occurred at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in 2023, which was caused by a misfired rocket launched by Hamas ally Islamic Jihad.
The Washington Post had a similar front-page blunder in July 2024 in its coverage of the Israel-Hezbollah escalation that occurred at the time.
The Iran-backed terrorist group in Lebanon launched its deadliest assault against Israel since the Oct. 7 attack on the northern town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, resulting in at least 12 dead and dozens injured, all of them children and teens who were playing on a soccer field.
The Post’s cover featured a large image of Israelis mourning the death of 11-year-old Alma Ayman Fakhr al-Din. However, underneath the image, the Post ran the headline, “Israel Hits Targets In Lebanon,” referring to Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah.
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