Differing media reports about an explosion at a hospital in Gaza shifted blame from an Israeli airstrike to unconfirmed reports that the Hamas organization deliberately blew up the facility. Former CNN host Brian Stelter argued the situation caused harm to the overall credibility of the news organizations.
During an appearance on Dan Abrams Live Wednesday, Stelter told the NewsNation host there was no defense of the inaccurate reporting.
“Sometimes, Dan, you’re out there criticizing the media and I want to defend the media. But there is no defense here. This was an atrocious series of mistakes by many different major newsrooms all around the same time on Tuesday,” Brian Stelter said. “And, unfortunately, I don’t think there’s been enough follow-up or accountability to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“I’ve noticed oftentimes in breaking news stories, breaking news scenarios, when information is lowest, interest is highest, and by the time we actually know the facts, people move on. Well, this was one of those cases, but it was even worse because when the stakes are highest, it seems the standards were the lowest, and it should be the opposite. The standard should be the highest when the stakes are as high as they are right now.Headlines at The Washington Post and New York Times were scrutinized Wednesday for failing to identify whether or not it was Israel or Hamas who was responsible for the attack.
