UPDATE
In response to complaints from HR readers, 9 News has removed the word “fellow” and replaced it with the more appropriate “man.” The headline, however, remains unchanged.
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A Palestinian terrorist stabbed an IDF soldier near Hebron’s Tel Rumeida neighborhood on Saturday morning. The attacker was shot dead by soldiers.
This is how Australia’s Channel 9 News reported the incident with yet another example of a faulty headline:
Who is doing the attacking? The headline clearly turns the Palestinian terrorist into a victim of Israeli malevolence. And what exactly is an “Israeli checkpoint knife attack?”
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Bizarrely the Palestinian terrorist is later referred to as a “fellow,” a term commonly used as a term of endearment. We’ve seen Palestinians terrorists described as “militants,” “activists” and “freedom fighters” but this is the first time we have seen one called a “fellow.”
For he’s a jolly good fellow? So say none of us.
That the story then repeats allegations of an “extra-judicial killing” by sourcing and linking to the website of the International Solidarity Movement speaks volumes. Nine News fails to disclose that the ISM is not an objective source.
The organization has a history of demonizing Israel and aiding and abetting terrorism. Why has 9 News used a source that is the polar opposite of credible?
HonestReporting Managing Editor Simon Plosker adds:
From the headline all the way through to the end of the story, 9 News has demonstrated a total disregard for professional journalism. We are left wondering whether there is an agenda at work or are the editors really that clueless. A Palestinian fellow was not executed – an Israeli soldier was stabbed and that is the real story.
Please send Channel 9 News your considered comments – [email protected]
