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A man waves a Palestinian flags as Lebanese security forces clash with protesters outside the U.S. Embassy in Awkar east of Beirut, during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, on Oct. 18, 2023. Thousands rallied across the Arab and Muslim world on Oct. 18 to protest the deaths of hundreds of people in a strike on a Gaza hospital that they blame on Israel, despite its denials.
A man waves a Palestinian flags as Lebanese security forces clash with protesters outside the U.S. Embassy in Awkar east of Beirut, during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, on Oct. 18, 2023. Thousands rallied across the Arab and Muslim world on Oct. 18 to protest the deaths of hundreds of people in a strike on a Gaza hospital that they blame on Israel, despite its denials.
Ibrahim Amro/TNSWhen the globe-shaking, protest-inciting, summit-shattering history of last week is finally written large, history’s ultimate chroniclers may conclude it all started with “The Misfire Heard ‘Round the World.”
But they’ll only be half right. Because the history of this literally incredible week — a week of lies and snafus — was really ignited by not just one but two misfires. Call it: Two Misfires that Shook and Shattered Our World.
First misfire
U.S. military and intel experts have concluded that a Palestinian terrorist rocket misfired after being aimed at Israel from inside Gaza, apparently launched by a group called the Islamic Jihad. The misfired terrorist rocket quickly plummeted and exploded in the parking lot of Gaza’s al-Ahli Arab Hospital, killing masses of Palestinian civilians. And the tragedy was instantly (see also: predictably) exploited by Hamas, the terrorists who rule Gaza. Hamas had just committed mass atrocities in Israel, knowing that would goad Israel into a massive retaliation that would kill many of Gaza’s Palestinian population. That was fine with Hamas. After all, Hamas contemptibly uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, 24/7. Hamas instantly announced Israel had attacked the hospital, even though they had no evidence proving it.
Second misfire
The news media of America and the world — even the best and most trusted of us — rushed to rocket around the world the news of the tragedy. But unforgivably, even the best of the U.S. news media joined the rest of the world’s news media linking the truth of that attack with Hamas’s apparent falsehood that blamed Israel for the attack without offering any evidence. Journalists of course all knew better: Hamas’ terrorists infamously live and launch attacks on Israel while using Gaza civilians as human shields. They are willing to see fellow Palestinians killed by Israeli retaliation—if it makes Israel look bad as the whole world watches.
Yet news organizations everywhere fell into the trap. Of course Al Jazeera, the Arab world’s famous news blanket that is funded by Qatar, instantly popped up on news screens everywhere reporting that Israel had attacked that Gaza hospital causing massive casualties. But even western journalism’s best and brightest did too.
Why? Because in today’s news biz, even the best are rushing just to get the most online clicks. Getting it first seems to have overtaken the priority of getting it right. This past week even the best failed to heed the basic stop-sign standards we used to consider business-as-usual.
Let’s just spotlight what many consider the best of our news biz.
The New York Times raced to splash your news screens with its first erroneous report of the Gaza hospital explosion at 10:51 a.m. ADT Tuesday. But minutes later, at 11:06:40 a.m., despite having time to get themselves together, the New York Times again fell into Hamas’ trap, emailing you: “Breaking News: At least 500 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza hospital, Palestinian officials say.” Israeli strike?
You might be thinking it was 100% true that the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said exactly that. But in this age of news manipulation by misinformation, we must rethink how and what we report. Reporting lies — just because they were said — doesn’t mean we are reporting what actually happened. (Example: When Donald Trump’s apparatchiks claimed voting machines changed 2020 Trump votes into Biden votes, their false words didn’t mean it really happened. So our media stopped spreading their big lie.)
This past week, faster than you can say “click bait,” millions who trusted our journalism’s best got the worst. Our news media’s best joined the rest in plunging us into Hamas’ trap.
It took two days for U.S. military and intel experts to conclude with certainty that the hospital bombing didn’t have the crater an Israeli airstrike would have created — but it had all the signs of a misfired Palestinian terrorist rocket that simply failed and fell.
But by then it was too late for truth to prevail. News screens had gushed apparent misinformation blaming Israel for the attack. That ignited rage throughout the Arab world. Once the fury of false allegations gushes out of news screens, it can’t be put back into the tube. Instant protests of Arab activists and Palestinian sympathizers rocked Middle East capitals. Of course, that caused Arab leaders to cancel their planned summit in Jordan, where Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, U.S. President Joe Biden, Saudi and Gulf state leaders might have headed off the next hell in Gaza.
Breaking News: That’s how Hamas terrorists got what they wanted most this past week — the cancellation of what they knew would be an anti-Hamas Arab summit.
Broken News: Our news deciders must fix what they broke. It’s an easy fix. Don’t let the liars and manipulators win. Just return to the standard that made getting it right our top priority.
Martin Schram, an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service, is a veteran Washington journalist, author and TV documentary executive. Readers may send him email at martin.schram@gmail.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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