FORWARD
New York Times gets slammed for highlighting fact that Israel Defense Forces kills people
by Aiden Pink
May 8, 2020

…But some current and former Israeli defense officials pointed out that the article [which has since changed the lede], which went into detail about the various ways Israel’s military-industrial complex is fighting COVID, had a more nuanced view of the situation than its lead sentence indicated. Former IDF spokesperson Peter Lerner said it was a “great story” marred by its opening. David Halbfinger, the Times’ Jerusalem bureau chief, responded by arguing that pointing out the IDF’s mission to eliminate threats was not inherently a criticism.

CAMERA BLOG NY Times Frames Iron-Dome Researchers as Killers and Destroyers Jerusalem bureau chief David Halbfinger begins the article, titled “Israeli Army’s Idea Lab Aims at a New Target: Saving Lives,” by casting the research and development arm of Israel’s defense establishment in derogatory terms that Israel’s enemies might use: “The Israeli Defense Ministry’s research-and-development arm is best known for pioneering cutting-edge ways to kill people and blow things up, with stealth tanks and sniper drones among its more lethal recent projects. [emphasis added]”