The IDF forces active in Operation Days of Penitence killed over 100 armed terrorists in northern Gaza, according to the IDF Spokesman's office, and liquidated nine Kassam-launching cells and 12 explosives-placing cells. The New York Times reported this week, in the name of PA sources, that the dead included only 55 "militants" - and did not even bother to quote the official IDF-reported figure.
Even the Times, however, reported that among the dead were only 18 Palestinians aged "16 or younger," based on an Associated Press count. This is in sharp contrast with a recent report by the French News Agency, which reported that the dead were "mainly children."
HonestReporting.com stated that it contacted the French agency AFP and informed it of its error in reporting that the dead were "mainly children." "AFP's editor acknowledged the statement was wrong," according to HonestReporting, "and said that a correction was forthcoming." In fact, however, AFP did not inform local editors of the mistake, but merely issued a corrected version. The erroneous report therefore continued to be proliferated worldwide, HonestReporting noted, including on YahooNews and in the Asian press.
"Accepted journalistic standards dictate that in such cases, the news outlet issues a timely, prominent correction," HonestReporting writes. "This ensures that other news outlets avoid reprinting the fiction, and may issue corrections of their own in the event that the error was already reprinted. By failing to issue such a correction, AFP deviated from standard journalistic procedure." Comments can be sent to AFP news at "contact@afp.com".
Even the Times, however, reported that among the dead were only 18 Palestinians aged "16 or younger," based on an Associated Press count. This is in sharp contrast with a recent report by the French News Agency, which reported that the dead were "mainly children."
HonestReporting.com stated that it contacted the French agency AFP and informed it of its error in reporting that the dead were "mainly children." "AFP's editor acknowledged the statement was wrong," according to HonestReporting, "and said that a correction was forthcoming." In fact, however, AFP did not inform local editors of the mistake, but merely issued a corrected version. The erroneous report therefore continued to be proliferated worldwide, HonestReporting noted, including on YahooNews and in the Asian press.
"Accepted journalistic standards dictate that in such cases, the news outlet issues a timely, prominent correction," HonestReporting writes. "This ensures that other news outlets avoid reprinting the fiction, and may issue corrections of their own in the event that the error was already reprinted. By failing to issue such a correction, AFP deviated from standard journalistic procedure." Comments can be sent to AFP news at "contact@afp.com".