Jewish Policy Center Senior Director advises caution in wartime reporting.
Journalist Urges Caution in Wartime Reporting
Shoshana Bryen, a senior director at the Jewish Policy Center and editor of the center’s inFOCUS Quarterly publication, is calling for journalists to exercise greater caution and scrutiny during wartime, as information can be difficult to independently verify.“Journalists have a tendency now—and I once went to journalism school, so I know this—to go with faster is better and correct things later. And that is a very bad idea,” Ms. Bryen told NTD News’ “Capitol Report” on Friday.
Ms. Bryen shared her concerns about the journalistic standards for verification and accuracy in light of how media outlets reported that the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza was rocked by an explosion on Tuesday.
Related Stories
-
Crisis in Israel | America’s Hope (Oct. 20)
10/20/2023
-
Frustration Grows Among Chinese Nationals in Israel Over China’s Lack of Evacuation Efforts
10/20/2023
The blast near the hospital came as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been carrying out airstrikes on Gaza and various Palestinian factions like Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have fired rockets throughout southern Israel. The fighting there comes after Hamas gunmen breached the Israel-Gaza barrier and proceeded to kill hundreds of people and take around 200 hostages on Oct. 7.
During his visit to Israel on Wednesday, President Joe Biden shared the U.S. assessment that Israel was not directly responsible for the Gaza hospital strike.
“It would have been very helpful for the media, to say, there’s been a bombing, something happened, we need to get more information, we need to get reliable information, and we’ll come back to you with that,” Ms. Bryen said of the coverage of the hospital strike. “They didn’t do it, they went straight to ‘Israel killed 500 people in a hospital.'”
Ms. Bryen argued that how media outlets initially cover an incident is important because audiences are not always aware when those same outlets issue corrections, and often will continue believing the initial coverage. She’s concerned that this latest dispute over the facts in Gaza hospital strike will also turn public perception against Israel’s military campaign.
“What you’ve seen is a variety of people who’ve said, well, Israel blows up hospitals in Gaza, and they killed 500 people, and so we can’t support Israel.’ You get a tremendous blowback from that,” she said. “. . .Whatever comes out first is the thing that has the most credibility.”
Beyond urging the media to be careful in verifying its reporting, Ms. Bryen also urged people to wait and be more skeptical of the claims and reporting they are seeing about the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
“It’s one thing to say people shouldn’t take everything at face value. People should wait. People should think about these things. But it’s very hard not to, if you really believe that 500 Gaza civilians were killed in a hospital. Any person with a heart is going to be upset by that,” she said.
Why did Ms. Bryen emphasize the need for journalists to verify information before reporting, especially during times of conflict?
Always able to follow up on later corrections or updates. She emphasized the need for journalists to verify information before reporting it, especially during times of conflict when emotions and tensions are high.
The situation in Israel and Gaza has been volatile, with the Israel Defense Forces carrying out airstrikes and various Palestinian factions firing rockets into southern Israel. Amidst this chaos, the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza was reported to have been rocked by an explosion. However, Ms. Bryen expressed concerns about the journalistic standards for verification and accuracy in reporting this incident.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, at least 500 people were killed in the hospital blast, which they attributed to an IDF airstrike. However, the IDF denied responsibility and instead pointed to a failed rocket launch attempt by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. President Joe Biden, during his visit to Israel, shared the U.S. assessment that Israel was not directly responsible for the hospital strike.
Ms. Bryen highlighted that several Western news organizations initially covered the hospital strike based on the claims made by the Gaza Health Ministry. She emphasized the importance of media outlets obtaining reliable information before reporting, especially in such sensitive situations. Rather than immediately attributing the incident to Israel, journalists should have focused on gathering more information and providing accurate reporting.
“It would have been very helpful for the media to say, there’s been a bombing, something happened, we need to get more information, we need to get reliable information, and we’ll come back to you with that,” Ms. Bryen stated. She criticized the media for jumping to conclusions without verifying the facts and perpetuating the narrative that Israel had intentionally killed 500 people in a hospital.
The article concludes by highlighting the significance of responsible journalism, particularly during times of conflict. It is crucial for journalists to exercise caution and independent verification to ensure that accurate information is provided to the public. By doing so, media outlets can contribute to a more informed and balanced understanding of the situation and avoid spreading misinformation or biased narratives.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...