Guide us in the way of justice and truth
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God
On August 5 I posted Justice and truth. I was expressing my concern about the New York Times use of a picture of Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq. He’s an 18 month old child in Gaza who is suffering from a genetic muscle disorder. You can see a picture of him in this report from The Times of Israel.
It’s a good example of the difficulty involved in offering reporting that offers the whole of a story. If we put together the various reports what comes out is something like this - Zakaria al-Mutawaq had a serious pre-existing medical condition. That condition was made worse by malnutrition. Hamas and Israel point the finger at one another in regard to the responsibility for hunger in Gaza. The journalistic problem with the photograph is that it was used as though it was representative of all that was going on regarding hunger in Gaza.
The Times of Israel report touches on all that. In my article, Justice and truth, I quoted another report, “A single photo cannot tell the whole story. Yet time and again, the media have used misleading images with devastating effect, even when contradictory facts emerge.” I also found the correction effort of the NYT lacking.
Then I moved onto other things. I wrote pieces on other topics, had to prepare and deliver a sermon, did some work on the book about friendships in the church, had meetings with members of the Order of the Ascension, continued preparations for the next cycle of Shaping the Parish, and did some catching up with old friends. In passing I noticed the stories about Gaza but my mind was on other things.
Today came “Journalists Against Journalism” from the editors of The Free Press responding to criticisms they have received over their investigation into the use of such pictures — “They Became Symbols for Gazan Starvation. But All 12 Suffer from Other Health Problems.” That report focused on a “dozen viral photos published by major international media outlets aimed at depicting starvation in Gaza. All 12 pictures featured distressed Gazans, mostly children. All were skin and bones. And all suffered from preexisting conditions, like cerebral palsy. Crucially, that last piece of information was absent from the captions or news stories they accompanied. In leaving out that context, the outlets presented an incomplete story. Rather than typifying the situation in Gaza, right now, these are exceptional cases.”
The FP was criticized by others in fairly brutal terms, e.g., disgusting, sociopathic, one wanted them on trial at the Hague, and another compared the report with holocaust denial.
The FP claims that “those who care about the truth will note that these children were not presented as the initial victims of anything; they were deceptively promoted to reflect the average Gazan. To suggest otherwise betrays a fleeting relationship with reality. … You’ll notice one important aspect about the uproar: No one is disputing the facts in our piece. Instead, they take issue with the facts we have exposed. They take issue with curiosity that points in the wrong political direction. … Shouting down inconvenient facts doesn’t resolve a debate.””
I hope you’ll take a look at the investigation report and today’s piece. If you to a search on “Criticisms of the Free Press reporting on Gaza” the AI response offers a broad overview of the issues about journalism and the war.
My guess is that you’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for the complexity of the issue.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith (from 1 Peter 5)
This abides,
Brother Robert, OA
The Feast of Louis, King of France, 1270
The Feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, transferred