Reuters Headline Describes Palestinian Attacker As “Driver”
The Israeli army today reported that a Palestinian attacker was killed after he stabbed a soldier.
But a Reuters headline about the attack suggests the man was killed while doing no more than driving his car: “Israeli soldier shoots dead Palestinian driver in West Bank: army.”
By contrast, here’s how Reuters described an incident in Belgium earlier this month in which an attacker was killed after slashing police officers:
Why, then, isn’t today’s story headlined something like “Man wounds Israeli soldier in stabbing attack”? Unfortunately, distorted and misleading headlines about anti-Israel violence seem to be all the rage. Reuters’ Jerusalem bureau chief Luke Baker, especially, is no stranger to skewed journalism and double standards.
But wait: Hasn’t this same Luke Baker criticized headlines that cast attackers as nothing more than innocent victims? After CBS published headline about an anti-Israel attack that read, “3 Palestinians killed as daily violence grinds on,” Baker called CBS’s wording “horrible”:
You can find that tweet by Baker here: https://twitter.com/LukeReuters/status/694959536680124416. Or not. The post has mysteriously vanished from Twitter, and now all you’ll see is this:
The original tweet is gone, without a trace. Almost:
The disappearance of the post might seem strange. But then again, it sure would look bad if Baker’s own bureau repeatedly publishes headlines of the type that he himself said were “horrible.” And it does look bad.
But it might look equally bad for a journalist to surreptitiously delete his own tweets.
Aug. 25 update: Reuters has informed CAMERA that it has fixed its poor headline. See details here.
More from SNAPSHOTS
CNN’s Ben Wedeman Falsely Reports No Soldiers Injured in Gaza Border Violence
June 17, 2018
In a June 7 broadcast and online here, Ben Wedeman incorrectly reported that in the course of the ongoing "March of Return" violence at the Gaza border, "No Israeli soldiers were killed or injured during [...]
Where’s the Coverage? Hezbollah Helps Hamas Build Terror Camps, Israel Calls for U.N. Help
June 12, 2018
Well equipped Hamas operatives Hezbollah, the Lebanese-based, Iranian-backed terrorist group is helping Hamas build rocket factories and terror training camps in southern Lebanon, according to a Jerusalem Post report. Hezbollah’s assistance violates several United Nations [...]
Where’s the Coverage? Israel Foils Assassination Plot Targeting Netanyahu and Others
June 6, 2018
Israeli authorities uncovered and thwarted a terrorist cell that planned to murder top governmental officials, including the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat. However, many major U.S. news outlets [...]
U.S. Official: Iran’s Support for Hezbollah Greater Than Previously Thought
June 6, 2018
Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah The Islamic Republic of Iran’s support for Hezbollah might be greater than previously thought. Tehran gives the Lebanese-based terrorist group $700 million a year, according to recent remarks by the U.S. [...]
Where’s the Coverage? 14 Members of Congress Call to Halt PA Aid
June 1, 2018
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo In a widely underreported move, fourteen members of the United States Congress called upon the U.S. State Department to “immediately suspend all aid payments to the Palestinian Authority.” The [...]
Why Does a NY Times Journalist Want to Suppress an Anti-Hamas Article?
May 29, 2018
A New York Times journalist thinks the Wall Street Journal shouldn't have published an opinion piece criticizing Hamas's anti-Israel propaganda campaign. The reporter, Declan Walsh, is one of the Times reporters who has covered the [...]