One of the problems with biased journalism is generating weak reporting. The other is that it can lead to the spread of total falsehood.
On March 6, global Newswire Reuters completely retracted a report that repeatedly mentioned the victims of Palestinian terrorist attacks as a member of Mossad, Israel's top intelligence agency. The problem is that there is no evidence that the victim, Amazia Ben Heim, was in Mossad.
Reuters is entirely dependent on the killer's family for details on this supposed biopic, and apparently does not make an effort to support their version of the event. Despite the serious and obvious flaws, when asked to explain how the original story was printed, Newswire responded to my inquiry with the same stock statement previously issued.
It is unclear why Reuters chose to resort solely to the murderer's family claims. They are not making any effort to show their homework.
On February 25, Reuters had published a tear-drinking company with a story entitled “The hopes of a mother in Gaza wants to return to her long-dressed son.” The subhead said, “My 75-year-old mother, Najat El Aga, was searching for the devastated streets of Gaza, looking for modest supplies to welcome him.”
The report details that Gaza mother had to wait “more than 30 years” for the return of her son, Diaa El Aga, who was sent to Israeli prison for murdering a Mossad agent in October 1992. I mentioned the report only once.
The report simply calls Hamas a “radical” group. This seems strange considering the group is labelled as a terrorist organization by governments such as the US, Australia, Canada and Japan. The fact that even strangers have never mentioned the name of Amazia Ben Heim, the man Dia killed.
Without mentioning the victim's name or including comments from his family, A Reuters article concluded: “In spite of the widespread suffering around her, the war left a rare hope that people like Najat El Aga would be able to re-accept their son at least for years to abandon their son. For now, the family home damaged by the Israeli strike still has a sign reading “The House of Zachariah El Aga, the House of the Prisoner's House.” ”
As mentioned above, the worst part is that there is no evidence that Ben Heim, who left his widow and three children behind, was or was ever an intelligence agent. However, with abundant confidence and lack of evidence, Reuters argued this in four places.
First, in the bullet summary of the re-acquisition report since then, Reuters “My son was imprisoned for killing an Israeli Mossad officer,” he said. Later, in the story itself, Newswire claimed that Dearah killed the “Israel spy agency Mossad” and the “Mossad Agent.” Finally, in a video report for the same story, the narrator claimed that “Diaa was 17 when she was imprisoned in 1992 for murdering an officer in the Israeli spy agency Mossad.”
According to the Israeli National Insurance website, Ben Heim was a veteran and worked for the Seret Matkal Commando Unit. However, he was a civilian at the time of his death, and was working to modify the irrigation system for the farmers. According to 2015, he was out on the field with a erroneous irrigation line troubleshooting when Dearer sneaked up behind him and murdered him. The era of Israel Report.
It is unclear where Reuters got the idea that Benheim was a Mossad agent. They are not making any effort to show their homework.
Newswire then retracted the report. If there was a headline about a sad mother waiting for her son to return, then there is a headline saying, “Reuters' tale about mother waiting to wait for her son to return from prison will be retracted.”
“Reuters' stories awaiting the release of her long prison son, a Palestinian mother, convicted of murdering an Israeli man, has retreated,” reads the only paragraph. “Reuters were unable to verify the link between the victims and Israeli Mossad spy agency, as stated by the Palestinian prisoners' families. There is no alternative version.”
What's almost as disturbing is that this is not the first for major media outlets. There appears to be a trend in Western press to rebuild civilian casualties of Palestinian terrorism as military and intelligence agents.
“January 30th, CBS NewsIt's been explained incorrectly29-year-old hostage Arbel Yahoo, a soldier, and she was a civilian, Accuracy Committee in Reporting and Analysis of the Middle East. “This work was fixed after notifying the camera CBS of the error. Two weeks later, February 16th, the Los Angeles TimesI incorrectly claimedMost of the remaining hostages in Gaza were soldiers. After informing the camera that the vast majority were actually civilians, the public was just as heavy, and ultimately corrected the error. ”
Many desires in Western media seem obvious. They want to turn the victims of Palestinian terrorism into officials and therefore a “fair game” in some degree of twisted way. When the victim is wearing a uniform, it is easier to bomb, decapitate, and stab the stomach.
Benheim was a civilian. He was a man from his family and had his head opened by swinging a 17-year-old Pitax. We are now asked to grieve the murderer and his mother. Worse, Reuters seemed to want us, our readers. Ben Heim's murder was probably justified because he was in Mossad.
But despite other impressionable media efforts, Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism are usually civilians, picked up by fanatics and brutally murdered. This fact cannot be changed.
Becket Adams is a Washington writer,National Journalism Center.
