Thread by @fadiquran

IDF: Israeli Disinformation Forces? I am glad @halbfinger wrote about this, but he missed three key things in this article. (Thread) #Gaza_Under_Attack

https://twitter.com/halbfinger/status/1393341089797529606

1. First, the article makes it seem like it is rare for the Israeli military to disinform the foreign press. But in fact there are numerous examples of the foreign press taking false Israeli statements and narratives and spreading them without fact-checking. The FP MUST…. 2/

… fact-check every statement the Israeli military makes. Not fact-checking IDF statements, and I don’t just mean during war time, violates journalistic standards. Let’s make sure this mistake doesn’t happen again @nytimes 3/

2. Secondly, the article doesn’t even mention the fear & terror that spread throughout #Gaza families as this story spread. I was up until 4AM with families believing they were going to literally die. Once AFP reported it, it went viral on social media..4/

How can @halbfinger write this story without interviewing or getting the perspective of those who lived in fear, the thousands who ran away from their homes, and spent hours in the streets, due to this disinformation? Again, it disappears Palestinians completely. That’s wrong. 5/

Stemming from the two points above, Palestinians & other communities across the world have significantly lost trust in the integrity of the foreign press and how it reports on this conflict. 6/

3. The article doesn’t speak to the overall information warfare conducted by the IL ministry of strategic affairs, & the asymmetry in media resources when it comes to the conflict. Israel has a global, well-financed machine designed to define the narrative around the conflict. 6/

The majority of foreign press reps are based in Israel, disconnected from the daily oppression of Palestinians. They need to do better in how they cover the conflict, as they are often pulled into the Israeli info ecosystem - even leaning on it.

7/

Rule: Never report anything from the IDF or other Disinfo sharing actors before corroborating it using basic journalistic standards & independent sources. Disinfo is a key weapon in the age of social media, & not taking precautions to avoid spreading it puts lives in danger. 8/10

We need to see the foreign press urgently adopt NEW processes and standards on how to engage with Israeli spokespersons, especially by those who fell for this ploy. Otherwise, the ISF will not be deterred from spreading disinfo & the FP will be their tool of deception. 9/9