Terrorists with bylines?

Terrorists with bylines?

The New York Times flew its flag at half-staff recently to mourn the fate of three terrorists killed by Israeli airstrikes  in Gaza.

Of course, the Times won't call them terrorists — it insists the three dead members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are actually "journalists."

According to Times media critic David Carr, Israel's military has been targeting the media for death, including Mahmoud al Kumi and Hussam Salama, who "worked as cameramen for Al-Aqsa TV, which is run by Hamas and whose reporting frequently reflects that affiliation."

Talk about a whitewash. The US government in 2010 designated the TV station a terrorist group and a full-fledged wing of Hamas. Israel has asserted that Salama is in fact a Hamas commander in Gaza.

And Mohamed Abu Aisha, whom Carr described as "director of the private Al-Quds Educational Radio"?

After Aisha's death, Palestinian Islamic Jihad published photos of him in militant garb and described him not as a journalist but an instructor for a brigade of its jihadists, hailing him as a martyr.

So, will the Times correct the record?

Fat chance.

Carr's excuse was that a gaggle of his press peers got the story wrong, too, including scribes from Reuters, The Associated Press — and, yes, even reporters and editors at the Times. Imagine that.

Some defense, huh?

Actually, it's more like a scandal in itself.

Pressed further, Carr told the online journal Tablet that all the evidence available still suggests these three were "journalists, however partisan."

It boggles the mind.

Indeed, Carr's explanation reminds us of Frau Farbissina — the character in the film "Austin Powers" who is introduced as the "founder of the militant wing of the Salvation Army."

According to the Times' logic, these terrorists were members of the "journalistic wing" of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Such a thing, of course, doesn't really exist — the terror groups merely use their press cards as a cover for their deadly crimes.

But Carr and the Times bought the lie hook, line and sinker.

And thus added to the slander of a nation trying to defend itself from terrorist attacks.

They should be ashamed.

And admit their error.

Original Page: http://m.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/terrorists_with_bylines_UfO7hwYpoqH1wEuVR46f9I

Shared from Pocket