Media releases conflicting information on Gaza hospital explosion

THE NEWS OUT OF THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – IS SEEING A NUMBER OF CONFLICTING REPORTS. THERE ARE DETAILS BEING REPORTED –

THAT ARE **CONTRADICTORY TO OTHER REPORTED DETAILS.

WITH SUCH SERIOUS AND CONSEQUENTIAL CURRENT EVENTS HAPPENING – PEOPLE ARE RELYING ON THE MEDIA FOR INFORMATION.

BUT THAT INFORMATION IS BEING PORTRAYED DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU GET YOUR NEWS.

WHICH SIDE IS TO BLAME.

THE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES.

THE VALIDITY OF HOSTAGE VIDEOS.

AND THE MOST RECENT – THE EXPLOSION AT A HOSPITAL IN GAZA.

MOMENTS AFTER A BLAST AT A HOSPITAL IN GAZA – PEOPLE SCRAMBLED FOR ANSWERS. THE PALESTINIAN HEALTH MINISTRY – WHICH IS CONTROLLED BY HAMAS – FIRST CLAIMED ISRAEL STRUCK THE HOSPITAL AND HUNDREDS WERE KILLED.

ISRAEL WAS SOON TO RESPOND – CLAIMING IT WAS A MISFIRED ROCKET LAUNCHED BY THE ISLAMIC JIHAD.

AS TIME PASSED AND MORE INFORMATION AND VIDEO EVIDENCE SURFACED –  THE ASSESSMENT OF U.S. INTELLIGENCE WAS THAT THE DAMAGE WAS NOT FROM AN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE.

THE INFORMATION WAS CONFLICTING.  AND SO WAS THE MEDIA’S RESPONSE.

LOOK AT THE EVOLUTION OF COVERAGE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES.

A HEADLINE UPDATED THREE TIMES – CITING ‘PALESTINIANS’.

WHEN THE STORY BROKE, THE FIRST HEADLINE CALLED IT AN **ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE.

THEN, AFTER ISRAEL DENIED INVOLVEMENT –

THE TIMES UPDATED THEIR HEADLINE TO

“AT LEAST 500 DEAD IN STRIKE ON GAZA HOSPITAL.”

THEN IT WAS UPDATED AGAIN TO SAY HUNDREDS DEAD IN “**BLAST **AT” THE HOSPITAL –

RATHER THAN A “**STRIKE **ON” THE HOSPITAL.

THE CONFUSION DOESN’T STOP AT WHO CAUSED IT. BUT ALSO WHERE IT HAPPENED.

WHILE IT’S NOW BEING REPORTED THE BLAST OCCURRED **AT A HOSPITAL – INITIAL REPORTS WERE THAT THE HOSPITAL WAS STRUCK.

NOW WE KNOW THE BUILDING ITSELF WASN’T DIRECTLY HIT.

U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES SAID TODAY THE HOSPITAL ITSELF SUFFERED “LIGHT DAMAGE.”

BASED ON PHOTOS, VIDEO, SATELLITE IMAGERY –

THE BLAST HAPPENED IN A COURTYARD THAT IS PART OF THE HOSPITAL **SITE.

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PHOTO ANNOTATED BY BBC NEWS.

YOU CAN SEE BROKEN WINDOWS OF STANDING BUILDINGS.

A SMALL CRATER.

BURNED CARS.

AND NEARBY ROOF DAMAGE.

ALL CONCENTRATED IN THE PARKING LOT.

A MAJOR PART TO THIS STORY THAT IS STILL UNANSWERED –

IS THE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES.

HAMAS CLAIMED 500.

THEN SAID 471.

SINCE THEY WERE THE FIRST TO PUT A NUMBER TO THE TRAGEDY –

MANY MEDIA OUTLETS REPORTED IT.

NOW U.S. OFFICIALS SAY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE KILLED IS LIKELY CLOSER TO 100.

WHILE EUROPEAN OFFICIALS HAVE THE NUMBER IN THE DOZENS –

WHICH WOULD BE A TENTH OF WHAT PALESTINIAN OFFICIALS SAID.

JUST DAYS AFTER THE ATTACK – THE INFORMATION AND **TONE HAS CHANGED.

AS MORE PEOPLE CRITICIZE AND REFLECT ON THE MEDIA’S INITIAL COVERAGE.

HERE IS WHAT THE NEWS LOOKED LIKE THE NIGHT NEWS BROKE.

MSNBC “The palestinian health ministry is saying a hospital in gaza city in northern gaza has taken a direct hit from an israeli airstrike. They are saying hundreds, at minimum 300, have been killed in this strike.”

ABC “tonight the death toll rising in the devastating strike on a hospital in gaza city. Palestinian officials sayign at least 500 killed in what they claim was an israeli airstrike.” 

PBS “welcome to the newshour. It is a horrific night in gaza where an airstrike hit a hospital, killing hundreds, who hit the hospital is in dispute”

NBC

“There appears to be several victims being rushed to other hospitals, but if this were to be true, this would be one of the biggest retaliation strikes possibly by the israelis since that hamas terrorist attack and when you’re talking about 500 people you have to wonder how many of those people are innocent civilians if this indeed is the case.”

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THE RESPONSE BY SOME OF THE LARGEST NEWS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE U.S. IS RECEIVING SHARP CRITICISM FROM SOME LAWMAKERS.

<DEM MOSKOWITZ GAZA SOT>

“Here’s what I know, what I know is we saw a disgusting display of antiisrael, anti-Zionism, and anti-Semitism from the international media around the world. They immediately took Hamas’s word for it, Hamas, a terrorist organization, who said something and ran with it.

this shows how dangerous it is to be listening to a terrorist organization when they put numbers, when they put out facts and figures and they put out statements and it’s a lesson for the media and elected officials that this is an active war zone and we have to be careful before we take stuff and weaponize it”

ISRAEL HASN’T EVEN BEGUN ITS GROUND OPERATION INTO GAZA YET. THERE ARE STILL HUNDREDS BEING HELD HOSTAGE BY HAMAS. THERE WILL CONSTANTLY BE NEW DEVELOPMENTS.

HOW WILL THE **PUBLIC STAY INFORMED WHEN ONLY 7 PERCENT OF AMERICANS SAY THEY HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF TRUST IN THE MEDIA’S REPORTING ACCORDING TO THE LATEST GALLUP POLL?

AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS WE UNDERSTAND AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE MISTRUST.

WHICH IS WHY WE TELL THE NEWS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.

WE SEE OUR INDUSTRY’S MISTAKES AND LEARN FROM THEM.

BECAUSE THERE IS **STILL A NEED FOR TRUSTWORTHY JOURNALISM.