Washington Post scolded by Jewish publication over 'growing number of issues' around Israel-Hamas reporting

The Washington Post was scolded by a Jewish publication on Friday "over a growing number of issues connected to its reporting" the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 

The Jewish Insider published a piece, "Washington Post under fire for repeated anti-Israel bias, systemic sloppiness in Middle East coverage," which put a spotlight on the paper’s recent issues. 

The Post recently added a lengthy correction to a month-old news story, admitting it had "mischaracterized" some aspects of its story about Palestinian mothers being separated from their babies in the Israel-Hamas war.

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The Washington Post was scolded by a Jewish publication on Friday "over a growing number of issues connected to its reporting" on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.  (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo)

The Nov. 17 article, "Israel’s war with Hamas separates Palestinian babies from their mothers," described how Israel gave mothers with high-risk pregnancies from Gaza a special permit to travel to Israel to receive potentially life-saving treatment for themselves and their babies. The previous version of the story stated that Israeli rules forced all mothers to travel back to Gaza to renew their permits if their newborns stayed in the hospital for longer than a few weeks.

A correction posted Dec. 28 clarified that it was actually hospital officials who had relayed this incorrect information to two Palestinian mothers. The Post editor's note also confessed it had failed to ask for comment from Israeli officials for the article, which "fell short" of its "standards for fairness."

The Jewish Insider pointed out that the Post took weeks to correct the story despite alleged internal backlash. 

"It is unclear why the editor’s note took more than a month to produce. Before it was appended to the top of the article during the holiday break last week, the story had raised eyebrows among some Post staffers who privately expressed reservations that it did not meet the newspaper’s rigorous editorial standards, according to a source familiar with the matter," Jewish Insider reporter Matthew Kassel wrote before noting other corrections. 

"In addition to the story on Palestinian infants, at least two other articles authored by its lead reporter, Louisa Loveluck, have drawn significant corrections in recent weeks, raising questions about the paper’s commitment to accurate and balanced coverage of the evolving war between Israel and Hamas," Kassel continued. "The paper has also faced accusations that its Middle East coverage has veered into activism." 

The Washington Post pointed Fox News Digital to the editor’s note and declined further comment. 

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Coverage of Israel has been put under a microscope since the Hamas terror attacks of October 7.  (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)

Kassel accused the Post of "presenting a one-sided picture of the conflict" and noted that the paper has appeared skeptical of the determination that Hamas used the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza as a command center.

"To some readers who have taken issue with the Post’s coverage, its skepticism of U.S. and Israeli intelligence findings has been especially troubling because, according to critics, the newspaper has otherwise continued to uncritically cite Palestinian casualty figures provided by the Gaza Health Ministry — which reporters have habitually refrained from identifying as a Hamas-controlled agency. The newspaper has also been accused of amplifying unverified claims from Hamas’ media office," Jewish Insider wrote. 

"Meanwhile, the Post has faced criticism for the language it has used to characterize the war," the piece continued. "In November, for example, the paper came under fire for describing as ‘captives’ Palestinian prisoners who were being released by Israel in a negotiated exchange for hostages held by Hamas and other terror groups, drawing an allegation of editorial bias from Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, who called the Post’s word choice ‘absolutely shameful.’" 

The Post is not the only news outlet to face criticism for its handling of the Israel-Hamas war. The New York Times also faced intense criticism throughout the final months of 2023 over its coverage following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack.

NEW YORK TIMES ADMITS IT RELIED ‘TOO HEAVILY’ ON HAMAS CLAIMS IN INITIAL REPORT ON GAZA HOSPITAL EXPLOSION

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Perhaps the biggest blunder from the media during the Israel-Hamas war was the Times’ botched coverage of the explosion at a Gaza hospital. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health alleged that Israel bombed the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital through an airstrike killing over 500 civilians. Subsequent reporting and intelligence found it was an explosion in the hospital's parking lot stemming from a misfired rocket fired by Hamas ally Islamic Jihad, resulting in a death toll a fraction of what Hamas alleged.

While many news organizations uncritically ran with Hamas' narrative, The Times stood out with its blaring headline that read "Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say" and even included an unrelated photo of rubble from a bombed building from a separate incident. The following week, The Times published an editor's note admitting it relied "too heavily" on Hamas' version of events.

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Fox News’ Kristine Parks and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.