Did you hear about the 8-month-old Palestinian infant who died after being exposed to tear gas at the Israel-Gaza border?
8-month-old Palestinian baby among those killed during deadly Gaza clashes https://t.co/4MxodBBEnT pic.twitter.com/ioW0Z7LsFW
— The Hill (@thehill) May 15, 2018
Never mind that no decent parent would ever bring their child — an baby, no less — into a riot. That story had all the makings of perfect Hamas propaganda, which is why the Washington Post, among other outlets, was so quick to seize on it.
And when it turned out that the truth — that according to a Gazan doctor, little girl had a pre-existing medical condition — no longer fit the media’s preferred anti-Israel narrative, the Washington Post tried to cover their butts:
In which a WaPo story about Israel killing a baby becomes a WaPo story *not* about Israel killing a baby, without a correction. https://t.co/vrZbuUuDzF pic.twitter.com/vFxah7w6Vx
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) May 16, 2018
The current version of the Washington Post’s story also includes this:
The Health Ministry also reported that a baby died after inhaling tear gas at the main protest area in Gaza. An unidentified doctor told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the baby, Layla Ghaben, had a preexisting medical condition and that he did not think her death was caused by tear gas.
Which is not what it said before (emphasis ours):
More than 2,700 people were injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, including 1,359 from live ammunition. The dead included at least seven children under the age of 18, among them a 15-year-old girl, the ministry said. The baby was 8 months old and died after inhaling tear gas at the main protest area east of Gaza City, it added.”
Recommended
Hell, even the headline was changed from this:
To this:
And no editor’s note or correction for any of it. Go figure.
So what's the actual story? is there a dead baby or not?
— Cathy Young (@CathyYoung63) May 16, 2018
Doctors now say the baby died of a pre-existing condition, and Palestinians aren't counting the baby among the dead anymore
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) May 16, 2018
NY Times & LA Times both ran this story as well
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) May 16, 2018
Here’s the L.A. Times:
https://twitter.com/joelengel/status/996790979733540869
Because all that matters is the narrative.
Are any of these terrorist shills even slightly annoyed with Hamas for suckering them with a phony dead baby story? Any soul-searching going on at all, guys? Is anyone asking what else Hamas lied to you about? https://t.co/H18exDYoZS
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) May 16, 2018
They don’t seem to care. At all.
Was this a stealth edit? Stealth edits are perhaps the most pernicious and dangerous thing in mainstream journalism at the moment.
— You Should Have Voted Gary (@colorblindk1d) May 16, 2018
This is why people don't trust journalists.
You make a mistake? That isn't a problem. We all make mistakes.
You don't go out of your way to fix that mistake? THAT IS A PROBLEM. https://t.co/r049wQKJ5k
— Pradheep J. Shanker, M.D., M.S. (@Neoavatara) May 16, 2018
That's something a media reporter like @ErikWemple or @brianstelter might want to talk about.
Don't you think? https://t.co/yFJ5i8vpqt
— RBe (@RBPundit) May 16, 2018
They certainly should. But will they? Don’t hold your breath.
Democracy dies because of a pre existing condition
— Judean Rebel ???? (@JudeanRebel) May 16, 2018