How to Decode the New York Times
The Israeli government unequivocally declared that Hamas was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of three young Israelis. But Israeli legal documents do not support the Israeli government’s accusations.
What if NYT Factchecked Netanyahu’s Claims?
If the New York Times pointed out that Israel was making debunkable claims about Iranian weapons programs, it might make readers less inclined to accept Israel’s unverifiable claims about Iranian weapons shipments.
Misreporting Israel/Gaza Cease-Fire
An Israeli airstrike on Gaza yesterday is being reported as a breach of the cease-fire agreement that was reached after violence last November between the Israeli military and Hamas forces. But the new accounts are misleading: They give the impression that Israel hasn’t regularly violated the agreement already.
NYT Reverses Time to Put Retaliation Before Attack in Gaza
Media activist Alison Weir (10/8/12) calls attention to a remarkable New York Times report (10/9/12) on Gaza violence. While we’ve come to expect a pro-Israeli bias from the Times, it’s still surprising to find the paper using time travel to make sure that events happen in their proper sequence. The headline of the Times piece […]
New NYT Rule: Anonymous Govt Sources Can Call Their Critics Terrorists
In today’s New York Times report (2/22/12) about Khader Adnan–the Palestinian hunger striker challenging Israeli “administrative detention” practices–reporter Isabel Kershner allows this: An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, called the deal over Mr. Adnan “a workable arrangement” since ultimately he will be almost completing his four-month term of detention. “We faced a […]
Timelines and ‘Trading Blows’ in Gaza
A headline in yesterday’s New York Times (4/10/11): Violence Rises as Israel and Hamas Trade Blows This “blow trading” has resulted in18 deaths, all in Gaza–roughly half civilians and half militants. On the Israeli side, one boy was seriously injured. The Times account tells us: The Israeli military said that if civilians were hit, it […]
Adventures in Absurd Anonymity, Continued
Anonymous Israeli officials are weighing in at the New York Times today. Let’s remember the Times has some rules regarding the use of anonymous sources: The use of unidentified sources is reserved for situations in which the newspaper could not otherwise print information it considers reliable and newsworthy. When we use such sources, we accept […]
Isabel Kershner Misleads on Israel’s ‘Far-Reaching Proposal’
New York Times reporter Isabel Kershner (7/15/10) writes a news analysis of why “peace talks” between Israel and the Palestinians are at a virtual standstill, despite the “upbeat atmosphere” in Washington following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama’s recent meeting. When she attempts to contextualize the “peace talks,” Kershner throws in this misleading history: […]
NYT Corrects Its Gaza History
On Tuesday (6/1/10), FAIR said this about the New York Times coverage of Gaza: Other news accounts presented misleading context about the circumstances leading to Israel’s blockade. [Isabel] Kershner (New York Times, 6/1/10) stressed that “Israel had vowed not to let the flotilla reach the shores of Gaza, where Hamas, an organization sworn to Israel’s […]
NYT: Gaza War Worked
Isabel Kershner writes a piece in the New York Times (10/9/09) that starts out as a profile of an Israeli artist who makes flowers out of Qassam rocket pieces. The main point, though, is to discuss thechanged reality in southern Israel, thanks to the invasion of the Gaza Strip late last year that killed over […]
‘Tensions’ and ‘History’ in Jerusalem
The New York Times‘ Ethan Bronner and Isabel Kershner (5/9/09) wrote about the Israeli government’s development planin Jerusalem–a “$100 million, multiyear development plan in some of the most significant religious and national heritage sites just outside the walled Old City here as part of an effort to strengthen the status of Jerusalem as its capital.” […]
