October 17, 2023, is the day I stopped trusting the American news media.
I’m no longer a reporter, a casualty of newsrooms layoffs that have been going on as long as I’ve been a professional. I now work in public relations and the other side has been jarring at times. But I never lost trust or faith in our news media.
It pains me beyond belief to write those words. I started my career as a daily newspaper reporter two decades ago. For years, I was guided by old school editors who continually pounded one specific message into my brain: Do not publish single source stories.
Then came October 17, 2023.
There was a hospital bombing in Gaza as the conflict between Israel and Hamas worsened. In the immediate aftermath, there was only one account of what happened. And every mainstream news outlet ran with it.
Hamas said Israel had targeted the hospital on purpose with a strike that left hundreds dead, including children and babies. The scene was horrifying. It was another painful reminder of the atrocities of war, and why we should always do everything in our power to avoid conflict.
But that’s not what I’m writing about today. I’m writing about the shock of finding out the Associated Press – the previous gold standard of American journalism -- published a single source story about a Gaza bombing with the single source being a terrorist organization.
The AP was the most shocking, though they were not alone. Many news outlets, including CNN and The New York Times, and other political leaders also immediately ran with the Hamas account. Today, we may not know the full truth about what happened. Except one very important piece, the Hamas version was not true.
Why did so many reporters instantly believe terrorists?
Did they want to believe it? Or were they unsure and ran stories anyway because they had to?
Think about those questions and the implications.
A terrorist organization lied about what happened in war and nearly every major American news outlet ran their lies unchallenged.
How am I supposed to trust our news media today?
In a desperate rush to be first and secure those precious engagement clicks from social media, there is no more waiting to confirm facts. It’s all about being first, not being right.
It again takes me back to my newspaper days, and how my editors would never let me publish a story about anything even in the realm of controversy without confirmation.
One of the first major stories I covered as a newspaper reporter was an airplane crash in southern Connecticut in a small town. I rushed to the scene to produce a story that I dictated to my editor over the phone – 2003 was a little different time – and he completely removed anything I reported that was hearsay or unconfirmed. It was a twin-engine plane crash, not an act of war, and we took more care with the facts than every news outlet combined did on October 17, 2023.
In short, today’s newsrooms are not equipped to cover war. The fog of war requires painstaking attention to detail and the wherewithal to hold on to a story until you know it’s accurate. The media ecosystem in 2023 does not allow for that. Newsrooms have been slashed to the bone. Reporters cover multiple beats daily. There is too much incentive to be first with hearsay than last with the truth.
We’re in a disinformation war and we’re losing, badly. Elon Musk has destroyed Twitter. Social media algorithms across the board are set up to share the most inflammatory, shareable content possible.
Our only defense is a national news media that is willing to confront the reality of the situation, focus on the truth, and stop chasing cheap clicks.
No, not all news outlets failed on October 17, 2023. But too many did.
It’s a real problem that our newsrooms need to solve immediately.
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