Did the Entire Media Industry Misquote a Hamas Spokesperson?
I asked a dozen reporters and news outlets for the source of a statement they attributed to Hamas. None of them answered. This is a case study of the failure of journalistic standards.
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On October 17, shortly after an explosion at a hospital in Gaza, headlines around the world declared that the Gaza Health Ministry said the blast had killed at least 500 people. This was reported by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, NPR, PBS, the Associated Press, the Guardian, and Al Jazeera.
It was an alarming statistic, and its blanket coverage in the news gave a concrete anchor to the rage expressed by many around the world against Israel.
Except—after an extensive investigation, and a total lack of transparency by many of our most prestigious media outlets—I have found zero evidence that the Health Ministry spokesperson ever said that more than 500 people had died.