The Washington Post, which has been widely criticized for its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, is under scrutiny again this week for publishing a news story on Thursday that appeared to criticize the parents of Israeli American hostage Omer Neutra for not discussing the suffering in Gaza, despite interviewing the mother and father and including comments in the story from them that the situation in Gaza is “horrible.”
The article, written by national correspondent Joanna Slater, details Ronen and Orna Neutra’s visit to Milwaukee to speak at the Republican National Convention on behalf of their son, who has been held hostage by Hamas since Oct. 7. The piece carries a sub-headline inaccurately describing Omer as “missing,” rather than being held in Gaza, before delving into his parents’ advocacy, which the story criticizes for a lack of focus on Palestinian suffering.
“When the Neutras speak publicly, they don’t talk about the ferocity of Israel’s counterattack, which has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians and left nearly 90,000 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Swaths of the territory have been pulverized and international experts have warned of looming famine,” the story reads, citing death toll figures from the GHM without including in the article or an editor’s note that the organization is a Hamas-run entity.
“What’s happening in Gaza is ‘horrible,’ Orna said, but Hamas could end it by releasing the hostages. Ronen echoed that sentiment: Hamas is ‘not only holding hostage our son, they’re also holding hostage the people of Gaza,’” it immediately continues, appearing to disprove the previous paragraph’s assertion that they don’t “they don’t talk about the ferocity of Israel’s counterattack.”
The outlet wrote in a now-deleted social media post sharing the article that: “Omer Neutra has been missing since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. When the Neutras speak publicly, they don’t talk about the ferocity of Israel’s counterattack, which has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians and left nearly 90,000 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Swaths of the territory have been pulverized and international experts have warned of looming famine.”
In two subsequent posts on X, formerly Twitter, the paper acknowledged that it had “deleted a previous tweet for this story that mischaracterized the efforts of Neutra’s parents.”
“A previous post referencing the below story was unacceptable and did not meet our editorial standards, and The Post has deleted it. The reporter of the story was not involved in crafting the tweet. We have taken the appropriate action regarding this incident,” the second tweet read alongside a link to the piece.
A Post spokesperson referred JI to those statements when reached for comment on the story, which has sparked outrage in and outside the newsroom.
“The Post keeps failing to meet its commitment to fairness in stories about American Jews. I know it’s costing us our readers’ trust, because they’ve told me so. Top management needs to fix this ASAP,” a Post journalist, speaking on condition of anonymity, told JI in response to learning of the piece.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, called out the Post for not making changes to the article itself.
“Are you kidding me, @washingtonpost? You may have deleted the post, but the thoughtless characterization of Omer Neutra’s parents – who have spent the last 287 days not knowing the fate of their son after he was kidnapped by terrorists on Oct 7 – remains in your article. In what world did anyone find it acceptable to publish in the first place?” he wrote on X.
Are you kidding me, @washingtonpost? You may have deleted the post, but the thoughtless characterization of Omer Neutra’s parents – who have spent the last 287 days not knowing the fate of their son after he was kidnapped by terrorists on Oct 7 – remains in your article.
In what… pic.twitter.com/hHY4FrHrVI
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) July 19, 2024
“To add insult to injury, the article cites ‘local officials,’ aka the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas – the terror organization that launched the barbaric 10/7 massacre that led to the ongoing war,” Greenblatt continued.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) expressed dismay that the Post would offer any criticism of the Neutra family given the ordeal they’ve undergone since Oct. 7.
“That the Washington Post would shame the parents of Omer Neutra for keeping their focus on the captivity of their son is beneath contempt. There is a taboo against any acknowledgment of Israeli victimhood because the Narrative, as opposed to the Truth, demands that Israel be seen only as the villain. The willful amnesia about October 7th is no accident. Denial follows inevitably from demonization,” he wrote on X.
That the Washington Post would shame the parents of Omer Neutra for keeping their focus on the captivity of their son is beneath contempt.
There is a taboo against any acknowledgment of Israeli victimhood because the Narrative, as opposed to the Truth, demands that Israel be… pic.twitter.com/HkGziJ1uug
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) July 19, 2024
The American Jewish Committee wrote on X of the article that, “The parents of Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra have one goal: TRYING TO FREE THEIR SON from Hamas captivity. That’s all they need to say.”
The parents of Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra have one goal: TRYING TO FREE THEIR SON from Hamas captivity.
That’s all they need to say.
How could this tweet have been posted? Shame on @WashingtonPost for calling the Neutra’s morality into question. pic.twitter.com/ogx95SfV0C
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) July 19, 2024
“How could this tweet have been posted? Shame on @WashingtonPost for calling the Neutra’s morality into question,” the post added.
Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, also condemned the paper over the story, writing on X that he could not “imagine scolding the parents of a hostage this way.”
wtf is wrong with you @washingtonpost? I can’t imagine scolding the parents of a hostage this way. https://t.co/mA76KfyAeo
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) July 19, 2024
Thursday’s article is the latest in a series of stories published by the Post that have sparked accusations of antisemitism.
The paper published a story in May suggesting that a group of wealthy Jews were using their influence to push New York City Mayor Eric Adams to send the NYPD onto Columbia University’s campus to clear out pro-Palestine protesters.
The piece alleged that a group of prominent business leaders privately voicing their concerns about growing pro-Hamas sentiment and instances of antisemitism on college campuses in a WhatsApp group chat “offer a window into how some prominent individuals have wielded their money and power in an effort to shape American views of the Gaza war, as well as the actions of academic, business and political leaders — including New York’s mayor.”
Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for Adams, condemned the Post at the time for the line of questioning.
“Any suggestion that other considerations were involved in the decision-making process is completely false, and the insinuation that Jewish donors secretly plotted to influence government operations is an all too familiar antisemitic trope that the Washington Post should be ashamed to ask about, let alone normalize in print,” Levy said.
Levy went on to condemn the Post for the article’s framing and language choices in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, writing that the paper and “others can make editorial decisions to disagree with the decisions by universities to ask the NYPD to clear unlawful encampments on campuses, but saying Jews ‘wielded their money & power in an effort to shape American views’ is offensive on so many levels.”
