During a week that has witnessed a sharp rise in West Bank violence, one news outlet has stood out for its continued inaccurate and misleading reporting: NBC News.
A drawn-out battle between Israeli security forces and Palestinian terror groups in Jenin, a deadly terror attack against Israeli civilians outside the community of Eli, a violent rampage by Israeli settlers through the town of Turmus Ayya, and an IDF drone strike on a car driven by terrorists fleeing the scene of a shooting all taking place within the span of less than 72 hours.
In two separate reports, NBC News has misrepresented Israel’s operation in Jenin and the drone strike on the fleeing terrorists.
The Helicopter Over Jenin
One of the most significant inaccuracies in NBC News’ reporting concerned Israel’s use of a combat helicopter to aid in the extraction of wounded Israeli soldiers from Jenin.
⛔ MISLEADING: An @NBCNews video turns an IDF helicopter into the focal point of an Israeli raid, making it responsible for the deaths of Palestinians.
Reality: the helicopter arrived later to assist evacuating Israeli forces & killed no Palestinians.https://t.co/bGd7QyrDwJ pic.twitter.com/Dl525TfkKF
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 20, 2023
Combat helicopters were not used to “invade” Jenin.
There was one.
It provided cover for IDF soldiers on an anti-terror raid to be extracted. pic.twitter.com/EYZbFCtY0X
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 22, 2023
Related Reading: Media Can’t Resist ‘Killer Copter’ Narrative in Exaggerated Jenin Raid Reports
The Nature of the Jenin Operation
Concerning the background of the Jenin operation, NBC News got it back to front, implying that the deployment of the helicopter was the catalyst for the gun battle that took place when, in fact, the aircraft arrived many hours after Israeli forces were already on the ground and engaging with armed Palestinian terrorists.
In a despicable libel, NBC News also claimed that Israel had deployed “toxic gas.” Contrary to this inaccurate charge, Israel uses smoke grenades for cover and tear gas as a non-lethal means of riot control.
Another misleading sentence implies that the gun battle was the result of Israel’s use of air power.
In reality, missiles were launched at an open area to keep Palestinian gunmen away from the IDF troop evacuation. pic.twitter.com/PuIMjW6cYs
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 20, 2023
The IDF conducted the raid to arrest members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
That is the key context as to why they “stormed the camp,” as you put it.
There is ZERO evidence the IDF used “toxic gas.” This is a wildly inappropriate charge. pic.twitter.com/ukWwdmSg05
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 22, 2023
Related Reading: Israel Kills Islamic Jihad Terrorists in Fiery Jenin Raid… Media Fail to Report the Full Facts
“Militant Car” vs “Terror Cell”
Aside from avoiding referring to the targets of an IDF drone strike as terrorists, NBC News went further, making the target a “militant car” rather than its occupants. Note to NBC News: vehicles do not exercise agency; people do.
The events of the last 24 hours are abhorrent, but must be covered accurately. 🧵@NBCNews @MeaganNBC, “militant car” is unclear.
The IDF said the drone strike was on a “terrorist cell.” Local media says they “had just opened fire at a checkpoint.” pic.twitter.com/rzmZvoxPaP
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 22, 2023
Related Reading: Eli Massacre: Media Mess Ups
As HonestReporting has consistently pointed out, when it comes to coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is imperative that responsible media organizations report the news accurately and professionally. Unfortunately, this week, NBC News failed to meet this standard.
In a region that is so often misunderstood, it is important that media reporting truly reflects the events as they took place, no matter what they are.
Do better, @NBCNews @MeaganNBC.https://t.co/J1p6njwX6r
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 22, 2023
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