Israel demands clarification from global media over photographers during Hamas assault - accuses AP, CNN, NYT, Reuters

[LeftInTX]

AP, Reuters, NY Times deny any prior knowledge, say their job is to cover news; CNN suspends ties with freelancer; Israel warns those present could be held accountable for crimes

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-demands-clarification-from-global-media-over-photographers-during-hamas-assault/


Israel on Thursday demanded that international media outlets explain the circumstances under which photographers in their pay were present at the scene of the surprise October 7 assault by the Hamas terror group on southern Israel, and warned they could be held complicit in the crimes.

The move came after the pro-Israel watchdog group Honest Reporting published a report Wednesday showing that photographers used by The Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times, and CNN provided images taken as the attack was ongoing from the border area and including from inside Israel — intimating they may have had advance knowledge of the assault.

The report also raised questions about the relationship between some of the photographers and the Hamas terror group that rules Gaza.

AP, Reuters and The New York Times all denied having any prior knowledge of the attack and reiterated that their role is to cover breaking news events. AP and CNN said Thursday that they would no longer work with Hassan Eslaiah, one of the photographers named.

_______________

These free lance photographers are no different than storm-chasers or backyard bad weather pics. No one vets the source. (Although our local newscast showed a huge tornado when there was a small one in the area. Someone punked the TV station..LOL) And now Sen Cotton wants to investigate the New York Times. This is BS.

[RockRaven]

1. The intent of that BS was to justify the murder of journalists...

Take note of those who propagate or act upon it.

[Aussie105]

2. The paranoid will see conspiracies everywhere.

The photographers were 'obviously' Hamas agents wanting to record the event, right?

Or maybe they were legit journalists just there recording a big music event.

And there were plenty of cell phones held by event attendees to record the massacre.

It smacks of paranoid finger pointing to me.

Bottom line: If you aren't a member of the IDF or an Israeli citizen, you are suspect.

It's a lead-in to restricting media access to anywhere near the conflict.
Soon, only satellite images will be able to tell the tale. And Israeli propaganda will fill in the blanks of course.

[LeftInTX]

3. They are restricting satellites too.

[disablegamer]

4. So did Hamas alert the press of what

they were going to do or were they there to cover the rave ?

[Walleye]

5. They are mad because journalists have better sources than their intelligence apparatus

[PCIntern]

6. Oh of course that is the issue...

Or that just one of these could have called the police or the IDF and told them that there would be a gathering of terrorists at a music festival and none of this would have happened.

Except there’d have been a lot of dead terrorists.

[Walleye]

7. So you think the journalists were in on it, or wanted it to happen?

[PCIntern]

10. You tell me....

Hamas invites so-called freelance journalists to a “party” in Israel. Perhaps there’d be cake and ice cream.

[Walleye]

13. I'm sure I don't understand the first thing about this conflict

I just know a little about how journalists work in the US. They hear rumors and try to confirm them. Their methods are not always moral. Even in this country. There is a lot more to this unfolding story. Honestly, though, I don’t dispute your views on this. The situation seems so hopeless

[Brenda]

9. You should delete this vile lie of an attack on journalists.

[PCIntern]

11. Oh yeah?

Why are two organizations severing ties with one of the photographers? Because he wore the wrong color tie?

Of course they knew or st least should have suspected and the only vile lies are those overinflated casualty reports by Hamas who lie about everything. Or didn’t you know that?

[Brenda]

12. Putting the lives of all journalists in the war zone in danger. Israel wants to kill them all.

Link to tweet

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1722613218437480704%7Ctwgr%5E94635ec8f9410de4d8d7886c9b535248ff5812bf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F11%2F9%2Fnews-organisations-reject-allegations-of-complicity-in-october-7-attack

The New York Times, which works with Yousef Masoud, another of the four photojournalists, called the accusations that its newsroom had advance knowledge of the attacks “untrue and outrageous”.

“We also want to speak in defense of freelance photojournalists working in conflict areas, whose jobs often require them to rush into danger to provide first-hand witness accounts and to document important news. This is the essential role of a free press in wartime,” a statement by the newspaper said.

“We are gravely concerned that unsupported accusations and threats to freelancers endangers them and undermines work that serves the public interest,” it added.

As of Thursday, at least 39 journalists and media workers have also been confirmed dead: 34 Palestinian, four Israeli, and one. Lebanese.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/9/news-organisations-reject-allegations-of-complicity-in-october-7-attack

[Brenda]

15. Wow, I have never in my life cheered Hamas.

Wonder why DU allows this kind of personal attack on me?

[Brenda]

17. You continue to make up shit about me.

[RainWalker]

19. There's a major update to this story

I posted about it yesterday but not many saw it. From the way it looks, the entire thing was based on misinformation and sadly the damage has been done. These journalists are now in immediate danger of losing their lives because of it.

[link:https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218444907|]

[malaise]

8. Israel should worry about its war crimes

That is all

[Beastly Boy]

22. But not accustions of war crimes

They are as prolific as they are worthless.

[sl8]

18. "HonestReporting accepts news groups had no prior warning of Oct. 7 Hamas attack"

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-advocacy-group-accepts-news-outlets-had-no-prior-warning-hamas-attack-2023-11-10/

HonestReporting accepts news groups had no prior warning of Oct. 7 Hamas attack

[...]

JERUSALEM, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The executive director of Israeli media advocacy group HonestReporting said on Friday he accepted as "adequate" the denials by four media organisations that they had no previous knowledge of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, adding he was "so relieved".

[...]

[disablegamer]

20. So Israel lied to us

putting people's lives in danger. Crickets from the Israel can do no wrong in war group.

[David__77]

21. They are embarrassed by their failure.