Media rushed to judgment in hospital strike reporting: Abrams

(NewsNation) — Many media outlets quickly blamed Israel for the Gaza hospital explosion, based on reports from Palestinian sources, but the National Security Council now suggests, while they continue to gather information, that Israel is not responsible.

“Our current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open-source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday,” tweeted Adrienne Watson, White House National Security Council spokesperson. 

On Wednesday morning, the Israel Defense Forces shared an audio recording claiming to feature two Islamic Jihad terrorists taking responsibility for the previous day’s hospital bombing in Gaza City, which resulted in numerous casualties. 

In a recent news segment, NewsNation’s Dan Abrams discussed the media’s role in reporting on the explosion that rocked the hospital in Gaza, killing dozens of civilians. The incident sparked a debate on the responsibility of journalists to verify and analyze facts before rushing to report on such sensitive issues. 

Abrams said that while Israel provided concrete evidence that they didn’t strike, some in the media relied solely on Hamas statements. 

“The last place Israel would bomb right now would be a hospital. You still have to consider it as a possibility, no doubt,” Abrams said. “But spreading Hamas misinformation can and has dangerous consequences, especially when there’s already so much distrust.” 

Abrams pointed out that the media’s failure to critically assess the situation led to violent protests worldwide, fueled by what now appears to be misinformation from Hamas. 

The U.S. government was cautious in drawing conclusions immediately after the explosion, but it later verified that the incident was likely caused by a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket misfire, as President Biden and the National Security Council spokesperson confirmed. 

Brian Stelter, a former CNN anchor, acknowledged that the media’s initial reporting on the incident was a series of serious mistakes. 

‘I don’t know why this was called a strike right away. Why not an apparent explosion? I don’t know why reporters went with those huge reports of alleged deaths when it had only been 30 or 60 minutes since the explosion,” Stelter said. 

Stelter said that Israel and the Israel Defense Forces aren’t perfect, but they have a vibrant press and are held to a higher standard. 

In a contrasting perspective, Cenk Uygur, founder and host of The Young Turks, expressed doubts about taking anyone’s word for events in the region, especially “when they don’t allow journalists into the area.”

Uygur highlighted Israel’s previous actions in Gaza, where civilians were killed, and questioned whether the government was held to a higher standard due to the lack of journalist access. 

“It is entirely possible that in this case, that it was not the IDF. So, I’m not arguing that case. What I’m arguing is Israel has already killed about 3,000 civilians,” Uygur said. 

Uygur said that Israel has a right to rescue hostages, but they haven’t done so thus far. “Instead, they’ve dropped bombs that might kill the hostages,” he said. 

A comprehensive on-site investigation into the incident has yet to occur, which would enable a more intricate forensic examination. The exact number of casualties resulting from the attack remains uncertain. Initial reports of casualties in the aftermath of such incidents are frequently unreliable.