Of bare cupboards and grocery shelves

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There’s no question that the war in Gaza inflicted horrible damage to the city and its inhabitants; next time, think about the consequences of attacking Israel before you cross the border. But it’s also true that the media accepted unquestionably the wildly inflated numbers of dead passed out by Hamas, and carefully posed photographs of suffering actors like Mr. FAFO. Remember the “Starving Child” who became as famous as Maryland Man” last summer?

USA Today (opinion)

…. The Times ran the story on its print front page July 25, with the photo of the child and his mother as the leading image. The caption says the child was “born healthy” but is suffering from “severe malnutrition.” 

Yet, it turned out there was more to the story.

Five days after the story was published, on July 29, The Times issued an editor’s note (buried at the bottom of the article) as well as a brief statement on its communications social media page that offered readers much-needed context.

The note “clarifies” that the child suffers from serious “pre-existing health problems.”

“We have since learned new information, including from the hospital that treated him and his medical records, and have updated our story to add context about his pre-existing health problems,” a Times spokesperson said in the statement. “This additional detail gives readers a greater understanding of his situation.” 

Now new videos are coming out, filmed and posted by Gazans themselves, and people are noticing a strange thing:

And this classic from last summer: