WaPo admits to faulty reporting on Gaza attack

Several days ago, multiple outlets ran with a report from Hamas that Israel had opened fire on Gaza residents at an aid station.  

The report wound up being propaganda, with the Washington Post finally admitting that it got the story wrong.  

The attack 

The Post was one of many outlets that did not bother to vet the story told by Hamas before posting it online, in print, or on TV.  The initial reporting very much made it sound like Israel had opened fire on innocent civilians, only it was nowhere near the truth. 

More than 50 people were reportedly killed, and the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, claimed Israel had opened fire on civilians.  

One person who witnessed the attack stated, "There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones.” 

Multiple outlets would soon regret taking Hamas at its word.  

Israel denies attack 

Israel immediately came out to deny the attack, saying the people who fired on the crowd were wearing masks and not associated with the IDF.  

The BBC reported, “Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says initial findings show its forces ‘did not fire at civilians while they were near or within’ the aid distribution site."

“In a statement, it called reports suggesting otherwise ‘false’ and urged the media to ‘be cautious’ with information published by Hamas.” 

Israel would eventually publish video to back up its claim, leaving all of these outlets with egg on their face, but this was about more than just bad reporting. With the political climate in this country and antisemitism on the rise, this was inexcusable. 

WaPo got it wrong 

On Tuesday, the Post admitted that its reporting on the incident was wrong. 

The outlet stated, "The article and headline were updated on Sunday evening making it clear that there was no consensus about who was responsible for the shootings and that there was a dispute over that question.” 

The outlet also deleted posts that were made with the initial headline to meet the “Post’s fairness standards.” 

The problem, again, is that the damage was already done, with some believing that reporting was the inspiration behind the hate-filled attack that took place in Colorado. The media has to be better, period, and this constant lack of verifying stories and using unidentified sources has to stop. They would rather be first than right, far from how our media used to operate in this country.