Yesterday (7/16/14) the New York Times posted its first account of the Israeli strike that killed four young Palestinians on a beach in Gaza. The headline looked like this:
That headline appropriately conveys the horrors witnessed and documented by the Times reporters.
But at some point–around 9:00 pm, according to the website Newsdiffs–the headline was changed to the version that appears on the front page of the New York Times today: “Boys Drawn to Gaza Beach, and Into Center of Mideast Strife.”
Was there something wrong with noting in the headline that the boys were killed? Do readers learn more being told they were “drawn into strife”?
Headlines are one very prominent way that news stories are framed. In this case, it does a disservice to the reporting underneath.
There’s a television equivalent to a headline–the information an anchor provides to introduce a piece. The NBC Nightly News last night (7/16/14) led with Gaza, and the segment by Richard Engel was vivid and powerful. But anchor Brian Williams‘ introduction included this comment:
When Hamas launches rockets from Gaza, Israel hits back.
Like the Times, that set-up does a disservice to the story that it introduces–and serves to instruct viewers that Israel’s strikes should be thought of as retaliatory, laying ultimate responsibility on Palestinians for their own deaths.
Often news stories are captioned erroneously by some person other than the reporter. They may be corrected afterward by an editor.
In this case, the Times removed an accurate headline.
Shame!!
That the New York Times had to change their account shows that they have not quite yet mastered Orwellian Duckspeak. Be patient with them, FAIR. It takes more talent to unkill a Palestinian at the NY Times than some of their writers possess. I’m sure they will remedy that.
The dead
And the quick rewrite
The original headline, while accurate, also does a disservice to the story by using passive voice to avoid assigning agency to the killing.
In other words, who did the killing? Was it child molesters? Egyptian agents? Fatah hotheads? Undercover Palestinian Authority police? Hamas sadists? Mothers who we keep hearing want their children to die?
Or was it the neighbouring state that, I read in the last few days, has killed hundreds of Palestinian children in recent years?
This crucial information is apparently not fit for a New York Times headline.
There’s even more to this than the obvious squeamishness about the subject matter and who exactly is doing the dying and the killing. The journalists — reporters and photographers — who are documenting this bloodshed are putting themselves in real danger. They’re not just taking a stroll on the beach. Sanitizing headlines does them a disservice, too.
All the News that´s Fit to Twist
Implying that Palestinians are terrorists instead of patriots defending themselves against an occupation is colonialist propaganda BS.
Israel has always used that line of thought to continue their oppression and murderous tactics.
In addition to Eric’s comments, I’m willing to wager that many people who read the original headline thought that it was four Israeli children who were killed, not Palestinian. That of course reminds of us Diane Sawyer’s recent foray into misinformation. And–wow– Sawyer issued a correction. Only thing, it was devoid of all the adjectives she initially used.
Collateral damage of insidiously racist, suppressive governments rooted religious hegemonic insanity.
Israel’s actions against Palestinians have always been a politically touchy matter, as any criticism is often quick to draw charges of antisemitism.
Regardless of that, this is one of the few times in our national media that the actual real-world results of indiscriminate air/drone strikes have been revealed. Four boys playing on the beach were killed. Their names are just added to the list of innocents killed by this sort of careless (in every sense) tactical execution.
For example, last week NPR reported that Israeli missile strikes against Gaza had been sent against X number of targets, “including the home of a member of Hamas”. No further comment was made.
So, with this modern-era style of war – and of which the US is a major practitioner – we use missiles, drones and airstrikes as judge, jury and executioner against suspected “criminals”. But, of course, these methods sentence these suspects’ families, neighbors and possibly the entire neighborhood to pay for the alleged sins, real or imagined.
Neither side in this conflict is “right” to use indiscriminate violence, but clearly Israel has the arsenal to inflict true violence upon Gaza, and not the other way around.
At 3 in the a.m.EST, RT showed their reporters film of the four tiny mangled bodies on the beach. By the morning they only showed shadowy film of survivors being carried out on stretchers. Corporate media are all cowards.
Sometimes, newspapers (even the NYT) provide updates based on new information. Pete tends to dislike facts that play against his sympathies.
You’re crying wolf here – the first headline was on a breaking news story, and the second is from the more detailed fully written story. I have no doubt that if you followed their ‘first draft’ story and their full story on any breaking news you’d see the same thing. If they really wanted to stifle the story…they would have stifled it. It would have been a tragedy mentioned in a larger piece and not given its own story
They targeted those kids for murder……
this is our generations Napalm girl.
The article was completely rewritten, as Newsdiffs shows. You can argue that it was rewritten to fit some agenda, although you haven’t, but there’s nothing plainly nefarious about changing the headline on a completely rewritten article.
http://newsdiffs.org/diff/615683/615718/www.nytimes.com/2014/07/17/world/middleeast/gaza-strip-beach-explosion-kills-children.html
http://antiwar.com/blog/2014/07/17/the-new-york-times-soft-pedals-israels-slaughter-of-children-shifts-blame-to-victims/
Taken from http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2014-07-17/nyt-headline-on-gaza-killings-hits-new-low/
NYT headline on Gaza killings hits new low
17 JULY 2014
Remember the appalling New York Times headline of July 10 over a story about a family of nine Palestinians killed by an Israeli strike as they watched the World Cup on the beach: “Missile at beachside Gaza cafe finds patrons poised for World Cup.” Could you imagine a more obfuscatory and misleading headline? Like the missile made the decision about where to strike on its own. I thought that was about as low as the NYT would sink.
But I was wrong. They have come up with an even more dissembling headline, one clearly crafted to avoid highlighting the embarrassing fact that Israel slaughtered four boys yesterday who were playing football in clear view on the beach.
The first subeditor does a reasonable job: “Four young boys killed playing on a Gaza beach”. It’s not exactly clear who did the killing, but at least it gives an idea of the story.
But then, it seems, the senior editors stepped in and demanded the headline be rewritten. Not to make the headline better or clearer, mind you. Simply to strip it of any relevance to the story; in fact, to strip it of any obvious meaning at all. Here it is: “Boys Drawn to Gaza Beach, and Into Center of Mideast Strife.”
No missile strike, no blast, no deaths and injuries, no Israeli responsibility to be found in the headline. All of it whitewashed by that weasel word “strife”.
And look at the enormous burden being placed on the verb “drawn”. It leaves the reader wondering not why Israel targeted four children but why they were “drawn” to the beach in the first place. And further, why they were drawn – rather than thrust by Israel – into the “center of strife”. The clear implication is that they were pawns, lured to the beach and exploited for some nefarious end. Who could have done such luring and to what purpose?
The NYT editors are world-class wordsmiths. They understand the power of words and they are experts at using them to achieve the desired effect. There is nothing accidental about this headline. It is as precisely targeted as the Israeli missile that ended those four young boys’ lives.
http://www.fair.org/blog/2014/07/17/nyt-rewrites-gaza-headline-was-it-too-accurate/
(h/t Abid Aslam)
– See more at: http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2014-07-17/nyt-headline-on-gaza-killings-hits-new-low/#sthash.A1VvNgHE.dpuf
Mark Thompson current CEO of NYT, former Director General of BBC, which under him famously refused to broadcast NGO nonparty charity appeal for Gazans after Cast Lead. Their politics and connections is why these people get the jobs, it’s a closed circle. Never be surprised at anything these people do, nor all the things they don’t do.
The change stems from a news cycle. Not bias.
If you understand the actual process of journalism. The first story and headline was about the event. It was just the facts of what happened. Kids were killed.
The updated story focuses on the kids being kids. If anything it shows how tragic the events were. It doesn’t hide anything unless you’re moronic.
You want to look at twisted coverage? Follow the NBC bullshit. Pulling an excellent reporter. Deleted tweets.
The change stems from a news cycle. Not bias.
If you understand the actual process of journalism.
Funny, but over the years that has been the ‘supposed reason’ for tweaking, twerking and outright deception for many “headline changes”. Even Odds are the original headline ‘upset some billionaire advertiser’ because it was “too something” for their delicate senses; i.e. it put them in a bad light somehow.
Not all changes are biased when it’s minor cosmetic but something about the headlines got someone with money upset and was too direct. Just like Vietnam, it was a great war until the people at home actually began to see the bodies and carnage and it put them off their Pad Thai noodles and iced tea.
The corporations were keen on keeping it a great war until they suddenly realized they were killing off their work force, and the corporate Lords and Masters would have had to actually get their hands dirty with ‘Po man’s work’.
First report I heard said F-16(?) Second said second F-16(?) run, subsequent said offshore shelling caused the Deaths. An accident, rather than 2 deliberate attempts to kill clearly visible Civilians?
The Boy has a row of 4 clearly visible wounds on his lower back– bullet holes or another new Jew/Bush developed weapon?
The Boy couldn’t have run from the blast with both legs shattered, yet no evidence of blast on the beach around the Boys body?
Monte Haun mchaun@hotmail.com
“Janet Naylor Vandenabeele
1 day ago
…
The journalists — reporters and photographers — who are documenting this bloodshed are putting themselves in real danger. They’re not just taking a stroll on the beach. Sanitizing headlines does them a disservice, too”
Yeah, that’s why NBC pulled out a Reporter and replaced him with a Pulitzer Prize Winning Jew Mr ED!!
I’m a very old man and for most of my life, have wondered why, sooner or later, even the most tolerant and benevolent societies grow to despise their Jews??
Monte Haun mchaun@hotmail.com
We find other countries that investigate minor crimes as inadequate, different concepts and rules, our newspapers are fairly inept.
The games the media, and even human rights organizations, play to keep up the fraud facade of “equivalence” and keep from recognizing Israel’s overwhelming responsibility for the Gaza slaughter — those games are just incredible. http://paper-bird.net/2014/07/12/on-the-slaughter-of-innocents/
A bunch of liberals gathering to accuse their favorite liberal paper of being… racist. That’s rich! F*ck off.
I’m sorry, every single news source is skewing its headlines, stop just posting the ones that benefit your cause for palestine! look at al jazeera, every day they are slanting news against israel… go correct their headlines. furthermore, stop nitpicking these things and start looking at the real atrocity – the rise of islamic extremism in the middle east that israel is trying to fight! sorry, if the muslim brotherhood and isis and hamas want to take over israel, i won’t have it! thanks!
@ jack- Wow, dude. The MSM sure has done a number on you.
Actual tape recording of Peter Hart recovered from the FAIR offices: “I know we’re supposed to be an objective media watchdog, but we’ve got to go after Israel – that’s what keeps me going! I won’t allow any mention of these key facts: that no country would allow a terrorist militia to indiscriminately shell its civilian population; that no one cared about Gaza when Egypt occupied it; that Hamas’ avowed objective is to destroy Israel…oh, never mind! I hate Israel! I hate Israel! I hate Israel! Why can’t Israel just commit suicide — it’s not fair!!! [Frustrated stamping of feet audible at this point.]”
You absolutely have zero understanding of how a newspaper works. The headline and story were updated at 9 p.m. because they’d cleared the editing cycle and were ready to go to the print edition. The difference in the headline is due to the layout. It’s not like the Times retracted the original story.
Actual tape from William – “Hay I am troll for the Fux Snooze Nitwork, I have no intelligence but I am going to stand here, smoke rope and bellow like a moron troll that I am because I have nothing better to do”.
I think the position of Village idiot is already filled (by another long term poster) so you can go find another blog to be moron troll at.
Great job! Thank you for your honest work!
Dear NYT, We the people want the real news, not your misguided headline title that does not tell the story. You are the reason that your news stories cannot be trusted as real, because you hide the truth and real story. So us a favor and close your doors forever and don’t come back. You write BS and you know it Mr. Editor.
You are not too accurate too when you put your title “was it too accurate?” instead of “was it lying?” because the word “too accurate” means some degree of accuracy where as “lying” does not.