Crisis at Jewish Chronicle as stories based on 'wild fabrications' are withdrawn [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: The Observer

Crisis at Jewish Chronicle as stories based on ‘wild fabrications’ are withdrawn

Newspaper’s due diligence is under scrutiny amid growing misgivings over its ownership and the role of its editor

Peter Beaumont
Sat 14 Sep 2024 16.36 BST
Last modified on Sat 14 Sep 2024 19.48 BST

The world’s oldest Jewish newspaper, the Jewish Chronicle, has removed a series of sensational articles relating to the Gaza war after claims that the material was fabricated by a “freelance journalist” who had also misrepresented his résumé.

After an investigation last week into the author, Elon Perry, the Jewish Chronicle put out a two-paragraph announcement late on Friday night, saying that it was unsatisfied with explanations supplied by the journalist regarding his assertions.

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The extraordinary events of the past week, which have now seen a series of high-profile articles taken down, began several months ago when a writer described as a British-based Israeli journalist began contributing a series of reports allegedly based on Israeli intelligence sources.

Highly sensational, the articles purported to describe blow-by-blow Israeli operations – including what would be regarded as sensitive details – and intelligence purportedly gathered by Israel on the fugitive Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his plans.

Journalists covering the Gaza conflict, already dubious about the veracity of the material, were unable to establish a meaningful record of Perry’s bona fides as described by the paper. Those suspicions were pushed into the open last week as a series of reports in the Israeli media described Perry’s articles as “fabrications”.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/14/crisis-at-jewish-chronicle-as-stories-are-withdrawn