By Michael Katz   From Newsmax

Many mainstream media organizations that initially reported Israel was responsible for an explosion Tuesday at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City have yet to apologize or publish corrections after it has been determined that a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and intended for Israel was the culprit.

Israel initially denied involvement and later Tuesday uncovered evidence showing the rocket had come from the Islamic Jihad, which backs the Hamas terrorists who govern the Gaza Strip. U.S. intelligence confirmed Israel’s findings, and more evidence showed the rocket struck a hospital parking lot and not the hospital directly.

The headlines online were quick to blame Israel, immediately trusting information provided by the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

• CNN: “Hundreds Killed in Israeli Strike on Hospital, Palestinian Officials Say”
• Reuters: “Hundreds Killed in Israeli Strike on Hospital — Health Authorities”
• Wall Street Journal: “Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Hospital Kills More Than 500, Palestinian Officials Say”
• The New York Times: “Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say”

“The best-case scenario here is that these outlets assumed that the health ministry, which is run by the very same Hamas terrorists who just raped, kidnapped, and slaughtered Israeli civilians, would never dare lie to them,” wrote Zachary Faria in an op-ed for the Washington Examiner. “Journalists at those outlets treated the antisemitic animals that make up Hamas as trustworthy sources and then raced to put out stories quickly without checking any facts. Again, that is the best-case scenario.”

The initial media reports blaming Israel sparked mass protests in the Middle East, including at the U.S. embassy in Beirut and the Israeli embassy in Jordan; and a planned summit Wednesday between President Joe Biden, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, and Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was canceled.

Protests broke out in the U.S. as well, including one in Washington, D.C., led by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., a longtime supporter of Palestinian causes. Tlaib posted on X on the day of the incident at the hospital, in part: “Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that.” Her post has yet to be deleted or retracted. Newsmax reached out to Tlaib for comment.

It does not appear CNN, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, or The New York Times issued retractions or corrections for its initial reports blaming Israel, although each adjusted their headlines to be more neutral. The Journal and the Times also published stories about the challenges journalists face when covering such a story.

In the Times story, an unidentified spokesman said: “We report what we know as we learn it. We apply rigor and care to what we publish, explicitly citing sources and noting when a piece of news is breaking and likely to be updated.”

In the Journal story, a spokeswoman for the media outlet had no comment on the Gaza hospital blast coverage.

Washington Post International Editor Douglas Jehl told the Journal his organization takes “steps to remind our reporters that the first reports in a war are often wrong, and we need to take a pause to make sure we’re not jumping to conclusions.”

Michael Katz | [email protected]

Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.

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