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Tel Aviv Error Spreads All Over

Simon Plosker
January 15, 2017
12:00 am

Reading time: 2 minutes

On Friday HonestReporting prompted the Associated Press to correct its story on an alleged airstrike near Damascus which the Syrians accused Israel of carrying out. According to the AP, the Syrians “warned Tel Aviv of repercussions,” thus falsely implying that Tel Aviv is Israel’s seat of government and power, effectively its capital.

Unfortunately, a number of other media outlets have also repeated the error based on a Reuters report, which has since been updated.

However, one or both of the following paragraphs have appeared in various media outlets.

We’ve requested corrections from the following media, which republished Reuters erroneous copy:

The Guardian (SUCCESS: The following correction appears at the end of the story: “This article was amended on 16 January 2017. An earlier version referred to Tel Aviv where the Israeli government was meant.”)

Daily Mail / Mail Online (SUCCESS: A reference to Tel Aviv was changed to Israel while another reference now refers to general repercussions.)

Newsweek

The Independent (SUCCESS: This has been corrected and now refers to “the Jewish state.”)

Sky News (SUCCESS: The sub-header and final paragraph have been corrected and now refer to “Israel” rather than Tel Aviv.)

Radio New Zealand

Sydney Morning Herald

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Tags: capital city, Daily Mail, distorted facts, Jerusalem, Mail Online, New Zealand Radio, Newsweek, Reuters, Sky News, success, Sydney Morning Herald, Tel Aviv, The Guardian, The Independent

Simon Plosker

With over two decades of experience in various non-governmental organizations in the UK and Israel, Simon Plosker returned to HonestReporting in October 2022 as Editorial Director having previously been part of the organization’s management team from 2005 to 2020. Prior to his first spell at HonestReporting, Simon worked in Israel for NGO Monitor, BICOM, and served for a short period in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. He was Managing Editor of the Geneva-based NGO United Nations Watch for two years before moving back to the frontline defending Israel from media bias. Simon has a BSoc.Sc in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Birmingham and an MSc in History of International Relations from the London School of Economics. He immigrated to Israel in 2001 from London.

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