The IDF had a thread on Twitter earlier today explaining the decision to strike a building where media outlets, including the AP and Al Jazeera TV, had offices and facilities. People working in the building were given an hour to evacuate, and the IDF says the building was also being used by Hamas.
CNN’s Brian Stelter read a statement from the acting director of Al Jazeera, and something’s missing:
Al Jazeera acting director general Dr. Mostefa Souag: "The aim of this heinous crime is to silence the media and to hide the untold carnage and suffering of the people of Gaza." pic.twitter.com/4zc787nPs1
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 15, 2021
That statement leaves much to be desired:
Zero journalists were targeted, injured or killed. Every one of them is in active communication with their organization. No one was silenced.
But, great job being the mouth-piece for terrorists Brian https://t.co/u35xdWnLxp
— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) May 15, 2021
Journalists don’t take sides. Al Jazeera: hold my beer
— Lawyer Hulk (@AttorneyHulk) May 15, 2021
CNN: Sure thing, speak into our microphones
— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) May 15, 2021
The rest of the weekend will now be filled with media statements that will no doubt fail to mention part of the story.
CNN is now putting terrorist sympathizers funded by Qatari on their network. Fabulous. https://t.co/e2DtEurs95
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) May 15, 2021
No, it was to kill terrorists. And they warned the journalists to leave. (Which they did.) https://t.co/svsTisgKVb
— Mike Dury (@MikeDury) May 15, 2021
Nobody at Al J or AP appears to be silenced. Indeed, they've yelled loudly since the building came down, though no one has admitted knowing they shared the building with Hamas or explained how they could've missed that.
If the aim was silence, they wouldn't have given warning. https://t.co/4P85Vn6sZN
— Joel Engel (@joelengel) May 15, 2021
— PeterCoNet✊️🇭🇰🌸🍁🗽😷 (@Peterconet2) May 15, 2021
Maybe the media could start by helping figure something out:
Brian, why don't you ask the AP why they were willingly sharing a building with terrorists? 🤡🤡🤡 https://t.co/pUet5SRqqm
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 15, 2021
Stelter did have some comments about Israel toward the end of the clip:
Stelter raises a reasonable point—if the building was used by Hamas military intelligence, what was Israel supposed to do? The IDF can score a propaganda victory by releasing evidence to support that claim. Surely they realize this is a propaganda as well as a shooting war? https://t.co/nMbo3w0I3S
— Gary Weiss (@gary_weiss) May 15, 2021
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