The New York Times says it leaned “too heavily” on Hamas claims in its initial coverage of the Gaza hospital blast

The New York Times admitted that it had “leaned too heavily” on Hamas claims about the cause of the explosion at Gaza’s Al-Ahli Hospital last week, as the Times and other mainstream media outlets responded to initial reports of the incident Explosion has been subjected to heavy criticism.

Initial reports in the Times, Reuters and Associated Press were accompanied by claims from Hamas government officials that it was an Israeli airstrike.

In an editor’s note, The Times wrote that “early versions of the reporting – and the prominence it gained in headlines, news stories and social media channels – relied too heavily on Hamas claims and did not make clear that they were claims is not. true.” immediately verified. The report gave readers a false impression of what was known and how credible the story was.”

Israel has denied responsibility for the blast, blaming it on a missile fired by Islamic Jihad. The United States and other countries have also concluded that the explosion came from Gaza.

Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the National Security Council, wrote about the explosion in Israel last week. yesterday at the hospital in Gaza.” An AP analysis concluded that the blast was “most likely” caused by a rocket fired from Gaza.

The first reports in the Times and other mainstream media to highlight the Hamas government’s claims as headlines were met with strong criticism for placing so much emphasis on unverified claims.

“The Times continued to update its reporting as more information became available, reporting disputed claims of responsibility and noting that the death toll may be lower than initially reported,” the editorial said. “Within two hours, the headline and other text at the top of the website reflected the scale of the explosion and the dispute over responsibility.”

The memo concluded that the editors “should have taken more care in the initial presentation and clarified what information could be reviewed.”

“Newsroom leaders continue to review procedures around the biggest news events — including the use of the biggest news in the digital report — to determine what additional protections may be warranted,” the statement said.