Reuters seemingly made a subtle change to a headline that referred to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as a “moderate” following his assassination in an airstrike early Wednesday.
Haniyeh, one of the founders of the terrorist organization Hamas, was reported killed during a visit to Tehran, as announced by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday. Israel was swiftly accused of the assassination, having vowed to eliminate Hamas leaders in response to the group’s massacre on October 7; however, no party has taken responsibility for his death.
A Reuters obituary titled, “Tough-talking Haniyeh was considered the more moderate face of Hamas,” sparked immediate backlash on social media. Users criticized the description of Haniyeh as a “moderate,” highlighting his past statements and significant involvement in failed cease-fire negotiations and hostage agreements on behalf of Hamas.
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Ismail Haniyeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on March 26, 2024. (Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)
The headline from Reuters was later revised to state, “Who was Ismail Haniyeh and why is his assassination a setback for Hamas?” The new article notably continues to assert that Haniyeh was seen as a “moderate” by “many” unnamed diplomats, describing him as “relatively pragmatic” and “the tough-talking face of the Palestinian group’s international diplomacy.”
When contacted for clarification, a Reuters spokesperson informed Fox News Digital that the outlet “often refines headlines as a story unfolds, for purposes including clarity and to better reflect additional reporting.”
In a pointed reference to the original Reuters headline, media watchdog Honest Reporting published a list later on Wednesday detailing Haniyeh’s “most moderate moments that the media conveniently ignored.” The list included footage shared by journalist Yashar Ali showing Haniyeh appearing to celebrate images from the October 7 assault on Israel, where Hamas killed 1,200 individuals and took approximately 250 hostages.
The compilation also features a clip of Haniyeh vowing in Arabic that Hamas “will lead Intifada after Intifada until we liberate Palestine,” along with a recent television appearance where Haniyeh stated that “the blood of children, women and elderly” in Gaza is necessary to “ignite within us a persistence.”
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“The blood of the children, women, and elderly…we need this blood so it will ignite the spirit of revolution within us, arousing persistence, defiance, and progress,” he said, as shown in television footage shared by Honest Reporting.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (R) meets with Ismail Haniyeh (3rd L) in Tehran, Iran on March 26, 2024. (Iranian Leader Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“You must be joking, Reuters (This is not a joke. And no, I’m not surprised),” journalist Yashar Ali shared on X along with a screenshot of the initial Reuters headline.
“Probably wise to remember this headline when reading anything from this outlet,” responded Free Press founder Bari Weiss.
“Ismail Haniyeh explicitly advocates for using women and children as human shields. Here’s your ‘moderate,’ Reuters,” philanthropist Adam Milstein remarked.
“When @Reuters labels #Haniyeh – one of the architects of the October 7th massacre – as ‘the more moderate face of Hamas,’ they imply he merely aimed to destroy Israel but not to dominate the entire world. How depraved are these individuals?” Newsweek contributor Joel M. Petlin expressed.
Others drew comparisons between the Reuters headline and the infamous Washington Post obituary that referred to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as an “austere religious scholar at the helm of the Islamic State.”
In November, Reuters was questioned by lawmakers about their journalists’ awareness of the October 7 Hamas attack after Israel alleged that some media outlets had prior knowledge of the grievous terrorist assault.
Honest Reporting initially raised ethical inquiries regarding the presence of some AP and Reuters reporters at the attack site shortly after the incidents occurred. Nitzan Chen, the director of the Israeli government’s press office, accused these outlets of being “alongside Hamas terrorists, documenting the murder of Israeli civilians, the lynching of soldiers, and the kidnappings to Gaza,” in a letter obtained by Politico.
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (L) and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)
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Both Reuters and the Associated Press have denied having prior knowledge of the deadly assault.
“Reuters categorically rejects the notion that it had foreknowledge of the attack or that our journalists were embedded with Hamas on October 7,” the outlet stated at the time.
