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Board of Deputies makes formal complaint to Guardian over Israel terror attack coverage
The newspaper changed a headline on their site after outcry on social media
April 8, 2022 14:33
The newspaper changed a headline on their site after outcry on social media
April 8, 2022 14:33The Board of Deputies has announced they're making a formal complaint to the Guardian over a headline on a news story about a Tel Aviv terror attack.
In a report about the terror attack in Tel Aviv which killed two Israelis and left many others injured, a Guardian headline read "Israeli forces kill Palestinian after Tel Aviv shooting leaves two dead."
Concerned individuals on social media attacked the publication for portraying the perpetrator of the attack as a victim and neglecting to describe the attack as terrorism.
In a tweet, the Board of Deputies said: "A Palestinian terrorist murdered two people and injured many others. He was subsequently apprehended and shot in an exchange of gunfire with Israeli police. How can any self-respecting publication invert the story to imply that Israel is at fault here? Disgraceful from @guardian"
The Board also said that they would be making a formal complaint to the newspaper and urged others to complain, saying that the Guardian has a "long and problematic record when it comes to coverage on Israel."
At the time of writing, the headline on the Guardian piece had been changed to "
Israel: two dead after gunman opens fire in Tel Aviv bar."
A GNM spokesperson said: "Our breaking news articles often see different iterations to their headline online, especially when a story is developing quickly and changing over time.
"In this instance, the article first headlined the attacks after news broke overnight ('At least two dead and eight wounded in Tel Aviv shooting').
"The story was then updated following the shooter's killing, with the headline changed to reflect this, before being altered again to reflect the most appropriate emphasis of the story for those coming to it new."