The executive editor of the New York Times has suggested a now-infamous comment article published by the newspaper which featured claims that Israeli security forces had trained dogs to rape inmates was not suitable for its news section.
Joseph Kahn told a technology podcast with journalist Peter Kafka he “probably wouldn’t have” published the piece in the New York Times news pages, adding that "it wasn’t edited by the newsroom".
The May 11 article by Nicholas Kristof made several allegations about the sexual and physical abuse of Palestinian detainees and was denounced by the Israeli foreign ministry as "baseless blood libel".
Among the serious allegations in the piece, Kristof wrote that Palestinian detainees reported guards inserting batons or other objects into their rectums during beatings and interrogations, perpetrating gang rapes and blackmail of a female detainee, and subjecting children to sexual threats and abuse.
The piece also described allegations from a Gazan journalist that, while restrained and blindfolded, guards encouraged a dog to sexually assault him while others photographed the incident.
Kristof said he spoke to 14 Palestinians alleging sexual assault for the article, alongside corroboration from witnesses, family members, social workers and lawyers where possible.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed officials to file a lawsuit against the New York Times and called the piece “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press”.
In the podcast, Kafka raised the subject of the “dog rape” article, saying: “There was a Nick Kristof piece about accusations of rape in Gaza by the Israeli military and settlers. A lot of controversy about that. That was in the opinion section. Would that story have run the same format with all the same facts in the news, in the news report?”
Kahn replied: “Nick, as you, as you know, is an opinion columnist. He's also a very accomplished New York Times foreign correspondent … Nick has his own brand and area of expertise, and that piece was edited by our opinion section.
“It wasn't edited by the newsroom, so it's distinct, but it's not, you know, it's not a categorical difference, you know. It's impossible to say whether we would have done the identical piece.
"We probably wouldn't have, because … you know, Nick is a has a particular focus on kind of human rights and war, and it is kind of part of his area of focus as a columnist, so to say, would we have done that exact piece? No, we wouldn't have done that exact piece, but we've reported, we have reported very similarly on abuses in the Israeli prison system.
“We have also reported on sexual abuses by Hamas against Israeli prisoners. Or against Israelis during the October 7 attack, so we've reported on sexual abuse on both sides of that, and every time we do it, it excites a lot of controversy.
“Nick's piece did as well. This one happened to be done by the opinion section, by him as a columnist, but I, you know, I have confidence in my opinion colleagues that they, that they edit with rigour.”
The New York Times released a statement defending its story, saying: “Nicholas Kristof's deeply reported piece of opinion journalism starts with a proposition to readers: ‘Whatever our views of the Middle East conflict, we should be able to unite in condemning rape.’
"He draws together on-the-record accounts and cites several analyses documenting the practice of sexual violence and abuse conducted by various parts of Israel's security forces and settlers.
“The accounts of the 14 men and women he interviewed were corroborated with other witnesses, whenever possible, and with people the victims confided in — that includes family members and lawyers. Details were extensively fact-checked, with accounts further cross-referenced with news reporting, independent research from human-rights groups, surveys and in one case, with UN testimony.
"Independent experts were consulted on the assertions in the piece throughout reporting and fact-checking.”
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