Post by Cindy on Jun 27, 2024 9:19:19 GMT -5
It’s embarrassing to admit a mistake. But it’s worse to try and hide it.
Sadly, media outlets opted for the latter in their coverage of a revised report that contradicted their narrative on Gaza “famine.”
The June 25 report, by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), included two main points:
Contrary to the IPC’s widely-covered estimates from March 18, the report stated that “the available evidence does not indicate that famine is currently occurring” in northern Gaza.
A “high risk” of famine persists across the whole of the Gaza Strip, as long as conflict continues.
Any journalist reading the report should have immediately noticed that its authors have buried the first point — which is new and proves that they were wrong — while leading with the second point, which is repetitive and speculative.
But instead of critically calling out their source and reporting what’s new in the report, media outlets were happy to copy-paste it, effectively burying, distorting or altogether omitting the news that would have embarrassed them and the IPC alike for spreading false information.
Related Reading: Media Fail to Report Officials Got It Wrong Over Gaza “Famine”
Omission and Distortion
Some background: In March, media headlines were quick to parrot the IPC’s “famine” forecast, and in early June they ignored the monitor’s admission of several flaws in its original data-gathering.
Ideally, these journalistic sins should have been corrected now, with headlines about the revised report that look like this:
Read the rest here:
honestreporting.com/media-distort-revised-gaza-famine-report/
Sadly, media outlets opted for the latter in their coverage of a revised report that contradicted their narrative on Gaza “famine.”
The June 25 report, by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), included two main points:
Contrary to the IPC’s widely-covered estimates from March 18, the report stated that “the available evidence does not indicate that famine is currently occurring” in northern Gaza.
A “high risk” of famine persists across the whole of the Gaza Strip, as long as conflict continues.
Any journalist reading the report should have immediately noticed that its authors have buried the first point — which is new and proves that they were wrong — while leading with the second point, which is repetitive and speculative.
But instead of critically calling out their source and reporting what’s new in the report, media outlets were happy to copy-paste it, effectively burying, distorting or altogether omitting the news that would have embarrassed them and the IPC alike for spreading false information.
Related Reading: Media Fail to Report Officials Got It Wrong Over Gaza “Famine”
Omission and Distortion
Some background: In March, media headlines were quick to parrot the IPC’s “famine” forecast, and in early June they ignored the monitor’s admission of several flaws in its original data-gathering.
Ideally, these journalistic sins should have been corrected now, with headlines about the revised report that look like this:
- Global monitor announces no evidence of Gaza famine
- Global monitor lowers estimate of Gazans facing “catastrophic” hunger from 1.1 million to 495,000
- IPC admits March report on Gaza famine was faulty
- Aid deliveries alleviated hunger conditions in Gaza – report
Read the rest here:
honestreporting.com/media-distort-revised-gaza-famine-report/
!!
