New York Times Faces Backlash Over Framing of Oct. 7 Attack Victims

The New York Times is facing criticism for a report that some interpret as questioning whether Israelis were the primary victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. A sentence in the article, written by reporter Isabel Kershner, stated, "But Israelis still largely view themselves as the victims of Oct. 7," which has drawn accusations of bias.

Critics, including journalist Eitan Fischberger, a former member of the Israel Defense Forces, called the phrasing "grotesque." Fischberger argued that the sentence presented an objective fact – that Israelis were victims of horrific atrocities on October 7 – as a mere "Israeli victimhood mentality." He drew parallels to hypothetical statements about Americans viewing themselves as victims of 9/11 or the Pearl Harbor attack, suggesting such framing would be equally inappropriate.

The controversy emerged in the context of a report focusing on a documentary about the killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces in Gaza. The Times article noted that "Israelis are deeply divided over how to apportion blame for the policy, military and intelligence failures that preceded the attack and the war," before including the contentious sentence.

The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, with hundreds of civilians killed in their homes and at an outdoor music festival. Hamas also took 254 hostages.

This is not the first time The Times has faced scrutiny for its coverage of the conflict. Earlier in the month, a review of the paper's early coverage of the Israel-Gaza war by Edieal Pinker of the Yale School of Management reportedly found a bias against Israel.

In a separate incident last week, The Times was also criticized for its coverage of the 9/11 anniversary, with some accusing the paper of framing Muslims as the true victims of the attacks. Articles titled "After 9/11, Islamophobia Shaped a Generation of Muslim New Yorkers" and "Facing Islamophobia, Mamdani Keeps Focus on 9/11 Victims" drew particular attention.

The New York Times defended its reporting, stating that backlash against its coverage is "a disingenuous attempt to seek attention and stoke outrage by misrepresenting The New York Times's journalism covering the anniversary and commemoration of the Sept. 11 attacks." The paper also previously told the New York Post regarding the study on its Gaza war coverage, "Our work has exposed violations of international law and grave human rights abuses. War crimes prosecutors have cited our investigations as they gather reporting that would not otherwise have come to light. Our role is to seek the truth, even when it includes inconvenient or uncomfortable facts."