The New York Times once again is playing fast and loose with facts pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On September 27, the outlet republished an August 23 crossword puzzle that included a “clue” referencing the “Largest city in the Palestinian state.”
On October 1, in an ostensibly apolitical piece titled, The Artists Bringing Activism Into and Beyond Gallery Spaces, The New York Times Style Magazine included this quote:
Both groups have also stoked controversy among their ideological opponents, most recently pro-Israel activists, who have said their support of Palestine has helped contribute to antisemitic violence…”
NYT fact-checkers on extended hiatus trying to locate ‘Palestine’?
Following publication of the original crossword as well as the headline below on August 30, HonestReporting took action.
In Fact-checking The New York Times: There Is No Palestinian State, we detailed that, according to the United Nations, the current status of ‘Palestine’ is the same as that of the Holy See (Vatican), which is clearly not an independent country.
We also noted that there is a clear path to Palestinian statehood.
The Oslo Accords forged in 1993 between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority the following year. The agreement was based on a promise by the Palestinian leadership to renounce terrorism and resolve all outstanding issues with Israel via bilateral negotiations.
To date, the Palestinian leadership has failed to live up to its obligations.
HonestReporting urged readers to contact the NYT to weigh in on these clear cases of media inaccuracy:
The @nytimes has conjured up a country — “Palestine” — that does not exist according to international law and never has.https://t.co/ovAZeuFCPt
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 30, 2021
We followed this up with a September 9 email to The New York Times fact-checking team that, as of publication of this piece, has gone without response.
NYT: Agenda-driven fact-checking?
Conjuring up a country — ‘Palestine’ — that does not exist according to international law — and never has — is not a one-off aberration. For example, in the items below NYT reporters and analysts depicted the existence of a Palestinian state as fact. And all of the pieces, with the exception of the first, were published in May, when for 11 days US-designated Palestinian terrorist groups based in the Gaza Strip fired nearly 4,500 of rockets towards Israeli population centers.
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Why Are There So Many Holocaust Books for Kids?
- Quote: “Give us books about a Black Orthodox Jewish kid who solves mysteries, about college students debating Israel and Palestine…”
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Our Digital Pasts Weren’t Supposed to Be Weaponized Like This
- Quote: “The latest target of adversarial archaeologists is Emily Wilder, 22, who was fired by The Associated Press just three weeks into the job after the Stanford College Republicans surfaced her pro-Palestine activism and social media posts while in college.”
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- Quote: “For years, support for Palestine has been an off-limits conversation in Washington.”
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In Show of Unity, Palestinians Strike Across West Bank, Gaza and Israel
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Quote: “For Ms. Tinah, the old hope of an independent Palestine now seemed unlikely.”
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- UN Rights Council Orders Inquiry Into Israel After Gaza Strife
- Quote: “Israel refused to cooperate with previous investigations into events in Gaza and the occupied Palestine territories, and there is little to suggest it will take a different approach…”
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In Washington, hundreds take part in pro-Palestinian protests.
- Quote: “Zeina Hutchinson, who was born in Palestine, came from Ashburn, Va., to protest with her husband and two sons, aged 12 and 13.”
NYT: Checking facts…selectively
The New York Times has a major responsibility to get the facts right on a topic as complex and nuanced as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Moreover, the publication has shown that it is highly capable of acting quickly on other stories it has deemed fit to investigate:
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Fact-Checking Claims on the Migrant Surge at the US-Mexico Border
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Responding to Critics, Bloomberg Omits Role in Expanding Stop-and-Frisk
This is a completely fabricated image, one of many in circulation featuring Prime Minister Modi. All of our factual reporting on Narendra Modi can be found at:https://t.co/ShYn4qW4nT pic.twitter.com/gsY7AlNFna
— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimesPR) September 28, 2021
Indeed, The New York Times places so much value on fact-checking that this ability seems to be one of the key criteria for joining the paper:
The New York Times is expanding its newsletter portfolio and seeks an experienced fact-checker to join the team. Candidates should have an eye for precision and be comfortable working in a fast-paced news environment. We’re looking for exceptional news judgment and an investigator’s mind. And while we value deliberate, careful checking, speed is also important. The fact checker will be part of a small group of writers and editors, so a collaborative spirit is a must. An entrepreneurial mind-set is a plus.”
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
Whoever lands the job might consider dedicating what would amount to no more than a bare minimum of time to curbing the spread by their new employer of misinformation about the name of a country that does not exist.
Otherwise, The New York Times will continue to effectively normalize unilateral Palestinian efforts to achieve statehood, even as Ramallah incites violence against the Jewish state. This, after having on numerous occasions rejected comprehensive peace offers and, perpetually, goodwill gestures by Jerusalem aimed at reviving negotiations.
Help fight for media accuracy by contacting Linda Qiu, The New York Times Fact Checker by Twitter at @YLindaQiu; or by sending an email to [email protected]. You can also contact @NYTimesPR
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