Comparative Reporting
A child was killed in Gaza yesterday. How does the media report it?
Comparing the spin that the stories get, and the relative placement of various details, is a very valuable way to see how each media outlet is biased.
AP:
Palestinian Abdullah Buhar, 8-years-old, …was killed Sunday by shrapnel during clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants on the border line that separates the Gaza Strip from Israel. It was not immediately clear whether he was killed by Israeli forces firing into Gaza, or by a misfired mortar launched by Palestinian militants.
Abdullah Bhar …was shot dead by Israeli tank fire in the central Gaza Strip today, Palestinian medical sources have said.
[A] 5-year-old Palestinian boy, Abdullah Bhar, … was killed during fighting between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Sunday, medical workers and militant groups said.
Israeli forces in central Gaza exchanged fire with Palestinian militants Sunday, killing a child and wounding four of the child’s family members, according to Palestinian security sources.
An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed Israeli forces were operating near al-Bureij refugee camp and that they came under fire from armed militants inside a home.
The spokeswoman said she had no details on casualties.
…[paragraph 7] – The Israeli military said the shot was fired by Palestinians in Gaza.
Palestinian medical sources in the Strip reported that the children were hit by shrapnel from Israeli shells fired at their house during the clashes. The IDF launched an investigation into the Palestinian claims.
A five-year old Palestinian child was killed on Sunday, as Israeli forces clashed with militants returning fire in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
The incident took place in the al-Bureij refugee camp and medics say that the boy, Abdullah Bhar, died of shrapnel wounds from an Israeli tank shell.
Militants claimed they responded by firing anti-tank missiles at Israeli forces.
The Palestinian branch of the Defence for Children International, a Geneva based rights group, claims that 49 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces since the beginning of 2008.
A five-year-old Palestinian boy has been killed and another wounded in an explosion in the central Gaza Strip, medical officials say.
The dead child, Abdullah Buhar, was hit by shrapnel in his head and chest near al-Bureij refugee camp, the officials said on Sunday.
The Israeli army confirmed there was fighting in the area, saying its forces opened fire but it was unaware of anyone being hurt.
Xinhua:
A 5-year-old Palestinian child was killed and two injured on Sunday in an Israeli artillery shelling on central Gaza Strip, medics and witnesses said.
An 8-year-old Palestinian boy has been martyred by an Israeli mortar shell in the central Gaza Strip, medical officials said.
The boy, Abdullah Buhar, was hit by shrapnel to his head and chest, the officials said on Sunday.
Television footages showed emotional scenes as Buhar’s mother mourned over her son’s body.
In reponse to Arab claims that a 5-year-old boy was amongst the dead, the IDF spokesman said that soldiers had not seen civilians near the scene of the battle. The IDF spokesman did not rule out the possibility that the child was accidentally killed by terrorists, and may have fallen victim to a misfired mortar shell.
Earlier Sunday, Palestinian doctors reported that a young boy had been killed in the Gaza Strip. The officials said the boy was hit by shrapnel to his head and chest; however it was not clear whether he was killed by Israeli forces operating in the area or by Palestinian gunmen who may have misfired a mortar shell.
A 5-year-old Palestinian boy was killed on Sunday when an Israel Defense Forces shell exploded near his home in the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said.
Medical workers and militant groups said the boy, Abdullah Buhar, was killed during fighting between IDF soldiers and Palestinian militants in the Hamas-controlled Strip.
The medical workers, who examined the boy’s body in a Gaza hospital, said he was killed by a shrapnel fragment from an IDF tank shell.
The militant groups said they fired anti-tank missiles and mortar bombs at IDF troops during the fighting near the refugee camp.
An IDF spokeswoman confirmed troops exchanged fire in the area with armed
Palestinians but said they were unaware of casualties.
Palestinian boy Abdullah Bhar …was shot dead by Israeli tank fire in the central Gaza Strip today.
A Palestinian boy was shot dead by Israeli tank fire in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian medical sources said. Abdullah Buhar, whose age was given as either five years or eight,was hit by shrapnel to his head and chest, the officials said.
Doctors said a 16-year-old boy also was wounded in the same incident between the border with Israel and the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, the sources said.
The Israeli military confirmed that there was fighting in the area, saying its forces opened fire at a group of militants who attacked them. But it said it was unaware of anyone being hurt.
Shrapnel from an Israeli tank shell killed a five-year-old Palestinian child and injured two others in Al-Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Sunday afternoon, witnesses and medics said.
Palestinian medical sources identified the deceased child as Abdullah Bhar.
On Saturday, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 35-year-old Palestinian farmer in the northern Gaza Strip. [EoZ - Ma'an has had a full 36 hours to correct this lie.]
Unfortunately, I found nothing from the BBC, Sky News or the New York Times.
About the Author
Elder of Ziyon may or may not be a real person. He (or she, or it) blogs at http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/Filed Under: Uncategorized
Let me give you an example of how this game is played by the leftard media:
A biker was riding by the zoo when he saw a little girl leaning into the lion’s cage. Suddenly the lion grabbed her by the cuff of her
jacket and tried to pull her inside to slaughter her under the very eyes of her screaming parents.
The biker jumped off his Harley, ran to the cage, and hit the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain, the lion jumped back and let go of the girl. The biker then took her to her terrified parents, who thanked him profusely.
A reporter saw the whole scene, and addressing the biker, said, “Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I’ve ever seen a man do in my whole life.”
“Why, it was nothing, really,” said the biker. “The lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as I felt right.”
“I noticed a patch on your jacket,” said the journalist.
“Yeah, I ride with an Israeli motorcycle club,” the biker replied.
“Well, I’ll make sure this won’t go unnoticed. I’m a journalist with the LA Times, you know, and tomorrow’s papers will have this on the front page.”
The following morning the biker bought the paper to see if it indeed had brought out the news of his actions. On the front page was the headline:
ISRAELI GANG MEMBER ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH
For the leftard media, we can do no good, so F#@K THEM!
The fact that good ol’ Beeb plus Sky news chose not to report might indicate that they know who killed the boy: not the IDF.
I am glad to notice that the IDF does no longer offer apologies every time “Palestinian sources” claim a child was killed.
I don’t know what to make of AP’s version though:
“It was not immediately clear whether he was killed by Israeli forces firing into Gaza, or by a misfired mortar launched by Palestinian militants.”
The editor must have been asleep … or on drugs … or drunk … or brain dead …
I wonder how many people coached the “Palestinian medics” or “sources” as to exactly what to say. I wonder if their stories changed a half a dozen times until reporters got there. I wonder if they even bothered to interview the medics or “sources” and just went straight to the script.
Fool me once, shame on me, do it everyday for 30 years, get lost.
PCHR, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, reports that the boy was killed by Palestinian mortar fire.
http://www.zionism-israel.com/log/archives/00000526.html. Haaretz had noted the possibility that the kid had been killed by mortar fire, but their headline and lede said Israel did it.
[...] I posted a large number of articles about a child killed in Gaza and compared how these “news” [...]