I'm disappointed by the misleading article from NYT with a sensationalist headline, inaccurately claiming "In less than two months, more than twice as many women and children have been reported killed in Gaza than in Ukraine after two years of war." Here's why it's inaccurate🧵:
2/ The article asserts that "More than twice as many women and children have already been reported killed in Gaza than in Ukraine after almost two years of Russian attacks, according to United Nations estimates. To verify this claim, I checked UN-provided numbers
3/ Firstly, the given number is not verified; it's a claim from the Gaza Health Ministry, provided to the UN. This is markedly different from UN-verified deaths in Ukraine, as one is a claim from an involved party, while the other represents independently verified casualties.
4/ In addition to the UN, independent 3rd parties tried to civilian losses in Ukraine, particularly in Mariupol. The AP discovered more than 10,000 new graves in Mariupol alone, suggesting a death toll potentially three times higher than the initial estimate of at least 25,000.
5/ When assessing unverified numbers from officials (consistency in data sources), it's important to compare them with Ukrainian statements. In a February 2023 statement, the Ukrainian war crimes prosecutor estimated that over 100,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed.
6/ Moreover, in an August 2022 article, NYT stated, "And in Mariupol .... Ukrainian officials believe that at least 22,000 people were killed. They cite witness accounts, satellite imagery of mass graves, and footage showing bodies in the streets."
7/ This is not a competition over civilian losses. An inaccurate methodological approach leads to false conclusions, whether deliberate or not, and undermines what's left of the credibility of news sources like NYT.
8/ The decision to blend confirmed data with unverified statements in the report remains uncertain — whether a mistake or intentional. A revision and a follow-up statement are hoped for. Please share for maximum attention.
Adding links to source materials:
nytimes.com/2023/11/25/wor…
apnews.com/article/russia…
un.org/unispal/docume…
independent.co.uk/news/world/eur…
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