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By: CAMERA.org
National Public Radio (NPR) has long been criticized for its biased coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, causing some unhappy listeners to substitute the word “Palestine” for “Public” in the public network’s well-known acronym. Dependent in large part on funding from its listeners, NPR continuously denies its clear bias, promoting its reporting as “impartial,” “honest” and “transparent.” But no objective person who has been listening to NPR’s coverage of Hamas’ current war on Israel can remain in any doubt that the media outlet’s reporting on the conflict is as biased as ever.
The detailed analysis that follows focuses on NPR’s reporting of a single incident – a deadly explosion that took place on Oct. 17 at the parking lot of the Al-Ahli hospital in Hamas-run Gaza. It provides a case study of the methods NPR reporters use to bolster an anti-Israel narrative and run interference for Israel’s enemies. Despite the mounting evidence and conclusions by international experts that Israel was not at fault for the explosion, NPR steadfastly refused to rule out Israeli responsibility, eventually turning to an anti-Israel, BDS activist to cast doubt on Israel’s account.
The Incident
Even with all evidence pointing to a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket landing in the parking lot of the Al-Ahli Hospital, Hamas used the incident as a propaganda weapon against Israel. Through its health ministry, it declared that an Israeli airstrike had targeted a hospital filled with civilians who had come for treatment or were taking shelter there, killing many hundreds of Palestinians. Israeli spokesmen immediately denied involvement, arguing that the IDF does not target hospitals and did not fire in that area. Shortly afterwards, the IDF provided evidence – including video footage, photos taken by drones, and intercepted Hamas communications indicating a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket as responsible for the damage and for the resulting loss of Palestinian lives.
The Pentagon, National Security Council, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Senate Intelligence Committee, as well as EU, Canadian and British Intelligence Services and individual munition experts independently uncovered and analyzed evidence that supported Israel’s assessment of the explosion. Estimates of the number of lives lost in the incident also yielded a far lower number than Hamas claims. A U.S. intelligence report cited by Reuters estimated the death toll as “probably at the low end of the 100 to 300 spectrum” while AFP cited a senior European intelligence official who estimated the death toll as 10-50 people. Hamas never provided any evidence for any of its claims.
NPR Coverage
By the time NPR’s All Things Considered was broadcast on the day of the explosion, Israel had already pointed to evidence of a misfired terrorist rocket as the cause, but that program and subsequent ones presented the two claims as competing but equally compelling versions of what had happened, with reporters sowing uncertainty about which claim held more weight. Over the following days, NPR reporters would continue to distort the story and mislead readers by one or more of the following methods:
Putting the incident into the context of Israel airstrikes on Gaza, either with or without presenting Israel’s denial of responsibility (the latter being the most disingenuous way of implying Israeli fault without directly saying so.)
Presenting the cause of the explosion as a dueling narrative, giving Israel’s evidenced account equal weight to the unverifiable proclamations of the Hamas terrorist regime.
Casting doubt on Israel’s version of events.
Presenting Hamas statistics as fact, unquestioningly, despite Hamas’ long track record of lying about casualties and Hamas’ directives to call all casualties “innocent civilians.”
Providing no transparency about sources: using anonymous or unnamed sources, obscuring Hamas’ authority over sources by referring to the Health Ministry or Palestinian Health Ministry or Gaza Health Ministry or their employees, with no indication that these are directly under Hamas governance and pay.
Concealing the partisan affiliations of guests, interviewees and sources.
Oct. 17, 2023
In the leading segment of All Things Considered on the day of the explosion, reporter Daniel Estrin cited videos from nameless social media accounts and testimony from an anonymous “eyewitness” (whom Estrin hadn’t interviewed himself but who had given an account to the Qatari-state-owned Al Jazeera) to amplify Hamas’ claims – i.e. the numbers of victims and damage that allegedly resulted from the blast. There was no validation of the sources, nor any indication of the likelihood they were part of Hamas’ propaganda machine. The insinuation throughout was that the explosion represented a deliberate attack targeting the hospital.
Daniel Estrin:
“It’s on the Al-Ahli Hospital…It’s where eyewitnesses told us that thousands of Palestinians have been sheltering because hospitals have long been considered off-limits for military targets in Gaza. People feel safe sheltering there. But videos on social media are showing a massive wall of fire rising up, bodies strewn over the grass of the hospital grounds. An eyewitness spoke to Al Jazeera and said men, women, children were among the victims.”
Only after this introduction did Estrin add Israel’s denial of responsibility, followed by an immediate “but” to cast doubt on it as he relayed allegations by the Hamas-funded hospital as fact to refute Israel’s claim that it does not target hospitals.
“Now, the Israeli military is saying that according to its intelligence sources, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group … misfired a rocket barrage as it was firing toward Israel and that it hit the hospital. We do know from past wars there have been Palestinian rockets that have fallen short inside Gaza. But, you know, this very same hospital said it was struck by Israeli rocket fire just a few days ago. (All Things Considered, Oct. 17, 2023)
Methods: 1, 2, 3, 4
Estrin went on to place the incident directly into the context of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, with the remainder and bulk of the segment devoted to testimony from NPR’s Gazan producer about the victims and damage that allegedly resulted from an alleged Israeli airstrike elsewhere.
Sacha Pfeiffer:
“Palestinian Americans are grieving for loved ones in Gaza as Israel continues to bomb the area in response to a Hamas attack that killed more than 1,400 Israelis. The Palestinian death toll now tops 3,000. Hundreds more died today in a hospital bombing. It’s not yet clear who is responsible.” (All Things Considered, Oct. 17, 2023)
Methods: 1,4
October 18, 2023
Daniel Estrin:
“So – and of course, you know, despite all of that pain, there is an ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza where hundreds of Palestinians were just killed in a recent hospital attack yesterday in a blast.” (Morning Edition Oct. 18, 2023)
Methods: 1, 4
Ruth Sherlock:
“Both sides are trading blame. Israel says it was the result of a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Israeli Defense Forces are putting out some footage and a recording they claim is a conversation between a Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad official allegedly talking about the misfire. But I should say, you know, really clearly NPR cannot independently verify any of this. And we do know from past wars that there have been Palestinian rockets that have fallen short inside Gaza. But at the very same time, you know, this hospital said just a few days ago that it was hit by Israeli rocket fire just a few days ago. And this is all happening amid intense fighting. You know, there’s 3,000 Palestinian people killed, according to the Ministry of Health, 1,000 of those kids. Ten thousand people have been wounded.” (Morning Edition, Oct. 18, 2023)
Methods: 2, 3, 4, 5
Leila Fadel:
“The West Bank, like much of the Arab world, has erupted in protest after an explosion at a hospital killed at least 500 people in the Gaza Strip. The cause is still unconfirmed. But even before this, there were signs that tensions in the West Bank could easily boil over. Israel’s punishing airstrikes on Gaza, the total siege of basic goods, hospitals running out of fuel, people running out of food has many Palestinians outside Gaza – in the West Bank and inside Israel – wondering how much harder their lives might get. And they have reason to worry. (Morning Edition, Oct. 18, 2023)
Methods: 1, 4
Scott Detrow:
“Hundreds of people were killed in the blast, which happened the night before President Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday. Palestinian authorities blame Israel. The Israeli military blames Islamic Jihad, another militant group based in Gaza, claiming the hospital explosion was a failed rocket launch. What exactly happened remains disputed.” (Consider This, Oct. 18, 2023)
Method: 2, 4
A Martinez:
“[President Biden’s stated support for Israel comes] after yesterday’s explosion at a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds. Several hundred people were killed, and Israel is blaming a rocket from Gaza militants that fell short. Palestinians and much of the Arab world blame Israel.” (Morning Edition, Oct. 18, 2023)
Methods: 2, 4
By October 18th, the U.S. National Security Council had already publicized its independent assessment of the evidence, noting that “based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information, Israel is not responsible for the explosion” and the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee stated that based on their review of intelligence, they were confident that “the explosion was the result of a failed rocket launch by militant terrorists and not the result of an Israeli airstrike.”
