What the NYT Backlash Teaches About Media Framing of Victims

The criticism began with a piece by Times reporter Isabel Kershner, who covers Israeli‑Palestinian affairs. In the middle of an article about a documentary on Gaza, she wrote: “But Israelis still largely view themselves as the victims of Oct. 7.” The sentence quickly became the focus of a backlash.

The Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel killed about 1,200 people and left 254 hostages, making it the deadliest assault on Jews since the Holocaust.

Journalist Eitan Fischberger, a former Israel Defense Forces member, described the line as “grotesque” and said it turned an objective fact into a “victimhood mentality.” He compared it to imagining a Times headline that said Americans still view themselves as victims of 9/11 or Pearl Harbor. Earlier this month, Edieal Pinker of the Yale School of Management released a review that identified a clear bias against Israel in the Times’ early coverage of the Israel‑Gaza war.

The New York Times responded by defending its reporting. The paper called the criticism a “disingenuous attempt to seek attention and stoke outrage,” insisting the article was standard news coverage.

The episode illustrates how a single phrase can influence public perception of who is a victim in a conflict. It reminds journalists that precise wording matters, especially when reporting on highly charged events, because framing can shape narratives far beyond the newsroom.

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMERS

4English does not own the rights to this content. All rights belong to the owner. 4English only uses this content to help users learn English via the app's features. Contact to request the removal of your content: contact@4englishapp.com.

Práctica de escucha

Práctica de escucha