The Washington Post‘s headline (9/1/25) on the IAGS resolution didn’t mince words–though it did get Israel calling the resolution “disgraceful” into the subhead.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) passed a resolution on August 31 declaring that Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza, with 86% of voting members in agreement.
The declaration by the group, described as “the world’s biggest academic association of genocide scholars” (Reuters, 9/1/25), was widely seen as significant news. Prominent US media sources like CNN (9/1/25), NBC (9/1/25), ABC (9/2/25), CBS (9/3/25), PBS (9/1/25), NPR (9/2/25), AP (9/2/25), Time (9/1/25) and Newsweek (9/1/25) published stories on the IAGS resolution. They bore headlines like the Washington Post‘s “Israel Is Committing Genocide in Gaza, Leading Scholars’ Association Says” (9/1/25). So, too, did numerous international news sources, with the BBC (9/1/25) running the headline “Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza, World’s Leading Experts Say.”
But the New York Times (9/1/25), which has repeatedly come under fire for its bias against Palestinians during Israel’s two-year-long rampage in Gaza, buried the news in the 31st paragraph of a story headlined “Israel’s Push for a Permanent Gaza Deal May Mean a Longer War, Experts Say.” The article immediately followed the brief mention of the IAGS resolution with a response from the Israeli government that called it an “an embarrassment to the legal profession,” and “entirely based on Hamas’s campaign of lies and the laundering of those lies by others.”
The New York Times (9/1/25) thought the “experts” who thought Israel was risking a longer war were more newsworthy than the ones who thought Israel was committing genocide.
The Times‘ treatment as an afterthought of the confirmation by genocide scholars of an ongoing genocide in Gaza recalls the paper’s real-time coverage of the Nazi Holocaust, which often relegated news of mass death to its back pages, and sometimes to the last paragraphs of unrelated stories (Extra!, Summer/89). Those pieces rarely quoted the genocidaires justifying their atrocities, however.
The Times story of the IAGS resolution included this little nugget that promoted the conflation of Palestinian civilians and Hamas fighters:
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, including about 18,000 children and minors, according to Gaza health officials, whose toll does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
While the reporter on the story, Isabel Kershner, can’t be held responsible for the headline, FAIR has written previously on her history of misleading readers through pro-Israeli bias and her conflicts of interest. The activist organization Writers Against the War on Gaza has also thoroughly documented why she might not be the most objective source on Israel/Palestine.
But she may have just been following the directives of her editors, who warned staffers last year away from using the word “genocide” in relation to Gaza (FAIR.org, 8/4/25). “We should…set a high bar for allowing others to use it as an accusation, whether in quotations or not,” the memo told employees.
ACTION ALERT: You can send a message to the New York Times at letters@nytimes.com or via Bluesky: @NYTimes.com. Please remember that respectful communication is the most effective. Feel free to leave a copy of your message in the comments thread here.
Reminds me of all those years when the Times’ editors and senior management deferred to the late Mrs. Sulzberger by not using the words “homosexual,” “gay,” and “AIDS,” in the paper. Of course, that changed not long after death. I wonder how many people were harmed by the Times’ adherence to this policy? All because some very expensive pearls were being clutched?
From the embodiment of human depravity
To the justification for it
The corpress treats the victims the same.
As people all over the world demonstrate against Israel, draw attention to the genocide in Gaza, and demand humanitarian aid to resume by competent aid organizations, demand the sham aid by Israel and US be shut down, and demand an arms embargo, shame on the New York Times feeble biased coverage.
An armada of 42 nations is heading to Gaza to break the block aid. Will the NY Times ifnor this dramatic international protest?
Turns out the IAGS was a fake and only the NYTimes had proper skepticism. Imagine if we all cared about truth over ideology
It turned out the IAGS was a fake and only the NYTimes had proper skepticism and restraint. Imagine if we all took a moment to get things right
Jason, even if you post it twice you’re wrong. It wasn’t a “fake,” whatever that is. The international association of genocide scholars did say that what’s going on In Palestinian is genocide. Your response is not only wrong but I wonder why you say it. Another poor defense of genocide.
While totally unsurprising, a good piece! At least since the start of the Cold War –if not forever– the Times has printed only perspectives that are part of elites’ “legitimate discourse.” Attacked, dismissed, belittled, or simply ignored are perspectives that challenge the fundamental (and structural) nature of US foreign policy (for example) –including, of course, US complicity in this genocide.
While totally unsurprising, a good piece! At least since the start of the Cold War –if not forever– the Times has printed only perspectives that are part of elites’ “legitimate discourse.” Attacked, dismissed, belittled, or simply ignored are perspectives that challenge the fundamental (and structural) nature of US foreign policy (for example) –including, of course, US complicity in this genocide.
True of the Washington Post, as well, of course. Where is US complicity?
Funny that some think it takes expertise to notice this genocide.
I just saw an AP story from today “Israel Strikes High-Rise Building and Threatens to Hit More in Gaza City Offensive”.
Strikes? They demolished the entire building!
I can only – again – confirm that nearly all media of Germany act – at least – as the NYT does. The only concern many from the “left liberal” Taz to FAZ to Spiegel to Zeit to 99% of papers is to somehow suggest, since some months, “ah, well, we did not, er, really, e-hem deny all the atrocities, er, hem”. But they did.
The idea to think because Germany has a long history of Antisemitism and committed, 1933-1945, the most horrible crime in history – all from the Left to the far Right should look away as people of Gaza are slaughtered – this is unbelievable. German Nazis are a fact, they will never ever be forgotten. But this cannot mean to act like German politicians, media and most people did since 2023. It is self evident that Israel has the right to defend itself. As it is evident that it has no right at all to commit Genocide and starve people in Gaza. But Israel is doing this.
Our huge problem is (dear Karen Harper) that all too many, and surely in Germany, simply do not care. There is no German version of FAIR, and that is a pity. Later all will say (as Janine Jackson put it so apt and right in I think 2023 at counterspin) – they would always have said… Well, they did not, and it can be proven.
Our huge problem 2 is – how would any future be? A Germany that wants a permanent seat at UN security council? A nightmarish thought. A UN security council with members as the USA, Russia… The USA did start to go far, far beyond helping Israel to self defend after the Hamas atrocities and killings with Biden/Harris. It did not start with Trump, it only got even uglier.
And German foreign secretary Annalena Baerbock – from the bellicose “Green” party ( the name for this now capitalist conservative party is a joke since at least 2000) gets a new job at the UN. Instead of having to answer questions about her time as foreign secretary and excusing, with the usual tut tut just to be safe, possible crimes of humanity and genocide, she now is elected President of the 80th General assembly of UN. A shame.