Four columnists quit Jewish Chronicle over Gaza coverage based on ‘wild fabrications'

By newseditors // 2024-09-17

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Four prominent columnists have resigned from the Jewish Chronicle (JC) after it published stories about Israel and its war on Gaza that were allegedly “wild fabrications”. (Article republished from MiddleEastEye.net) The JC, which is the oldest Jewish newspaper in the UK, published several articles by a reporter named Elon Perry that it has now removed. They are alleged to contain fabricated quotes from Israeli officials. One of the articles claimed the discovery of a document from Gaza allegedly detailing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s plans to escape with Israeli captives, using the Philadelphi Corridor as a route to Iran. But Israel's army said that it had no knowledge of such a document - and several Israeli outlets questioned Perry's identity and professional background. Given the similarity between Perry's claims and statements made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, some have speculated that this could be part of a broader disinformation campaign. On Saturday, amid mounting controversy, the JC removed his articles from its website. Jonathan Freedland, a senior columnist for the Guardian, said on Sunday that he was quitting the JC, which he has contributed to for 26 years. “The latest scandal brings great disgrace on the paper - publishing fabricated stories and showing only the thinnest form of contrition - but it is only the latest,” he said in a letter to editor Jake Wallis Simmons, posted on X. “Too often, the JC reads like a partisan, ideological instrument, its judgements political rather than journalistic.” Journalist David Aaronovitch reposted Freedland’s letter and said, “I have done the same.” Comedian and writer David Baddiel, meanwhile, has followed suit, with his spokesperson confirming on Sunday that he has “no plans to write any more columns for the paper but there is no further comment at this stage”. And Hadley Freeman, who writes for The Sunday Times, has left the paper too. She told BBC Radio 4 on Monday morning that she and the other columnists who resigned “felt there had not been editorial standards" applied to Elon Perry "because this journalist adhered to an ideology that perhaps was similar to that of the editorial board”. She added: “Jews represent a tiny, tiny percentage of the British population, less than one percent, and we want to have a liberal modern voice that represents British Jewish feelings… what it felt like, increasingly, was that the Jewish Chronicle was representing a more ideological rather than strictly journalistic point of view, and was becoming far more right wing and far more in step with Netanyahu - which most British Jews are not. “That’s not why I joined a British Jewish newspaper, to represent the views of Netanyahu. I want to represent the views of British Jews”. Perry, who wrote the now-deleted articles for the JC as a freelancer, told The Sunday Times that the criticisms were motivated by “jealousy”. Asked why there was little evidence of his past writing, he replied: “My articles are in Hebrew, darling.” On Sunday, JC editor Jake Wallis Simons said on X that it was “every newspaper editor’s worst nightmare to be deceived by a journalist”. He said the newspaper "has cut all ties with the freelancer in question and his work has now been removed from our website". Middle East Eye has asked the Jewish Chronicle for comment. Read more at: MiddleEastEye.net

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