The New York Times, which is considered the most influential newspaper in the world, published a statement at noon on Monday in which it admitted that it mishandled the way it covered the explosion in a hospital in Gaza on October 17.
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"Times editors should have taken more care with the initial presentation, and been more explicit about what information could be verified," said the statement by the American newspaper, which early on adopted Hamas' claims and highlighted them in its main headline.
The newspaper clarified that it published the news about the explosion at the hospital following claims by "Hamas administration officials" about hundreds of deaths in an Israeli attack. The newspaper clarified that Israel later denied the accusations and placed responsibility on Islamic Jihad, a claim that later received confirmation from American and other intelligence agencies as well.
The newspaper pointed out that although it brought the Israeli version of the story, "the early versions of the coverage – and the prominence it received in a headline, news alert and social media channels – relied too heavily on claims by Hamas, and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified." The newspaper admitted that its report "left readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was."
The newspaper stated that it continued to update its coverage, including reporting the disputed claims of responsibility and noting that the death toll might be lower than initially reported by Hamas, and claimed that within two hours the headlines and the article itself reflected well what was happening.
"Given the sensitive nature of the news during a widening conflict, and the prominent promotion it received, Times editors should have taken more care with the initial presentation, and been more explicit about what information could be verified," the clarification continued. "Newsroom leaders continue to examine procedures around the biggest breaking news events — including for the use of the largest headlines in the digital report — to determine what additional safeguards may be warranted."
Israel blamed the explosion at the hospital on Islamic Jihad, which launched a rocket meant for Israel that exploded on the spot. Both Israel and American intelligence pointed to evidence, while Hamas did not present evidence for its claims - also regarding the number of dead - which, according to the terrorist organization, is 471.
First published: 14:46, 10.23.23