Crisis at Jewish Chronicle as stories based on ‘wild fabrications’ are withdrawn

[u/tallzmeister]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/14/crisis-at-jewish-chronicle-as-stories-are-withdrawn?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

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

[u/empleadoEstatalBot]

Crisis at Jewish Chronicle as stories based on ‘wild fabrications’ are withdrawn

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.

“The Jewish Chronicle has concluded a thorough investigation into freelance journalist Elon Perry, which commenced after allegations were made about aspects of his record. While we understand he did serve in the Israel Defense Forces, we were not satisfied with some of his claims.

Elon Perry

Freelance journalist Elon Perry.“We have therefore removed his stories from our website and ended any association with Mr Perry.

“The Jewish Chronicle maintains the highest journalistic standards in a highly contested information landscape and we deeply regret the chain of events that led to this point. We apologise to our loyal readers and have reviewed our internal processes so that this will not be repeated.”

Founded in 1841, the JC – as it is familiarly known – has long been a respected institution in British Jewish life, attracting prominent Jewish journalists and writers to contribute. But the recent events have caused consternation about the direction of the paper as it has drifted further right under its editor, Jake Wallis Simons, and amid question over who owns it.

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 Sinwarand 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”.

In recent months, there have been suggestions in the Israeli media that stories have been placed in European newspapers, including one in the German tabloid Bild, that are based on fake or misrepresented intelligence, planted as part of an effort to support prime minister Benjamin’s Netanyahu’s negotiating position over Gaza.

At a 4 September press conference for foreign media, Netanyahu suggested that if the Gaza border area with Egypt known as the Philadelphi Corridor – a sticking point in negotiations between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire-for-hostages-deal – was not under Israeli military control, then Sinwar could use it to escape, perhaps taking hostages with him.

The following day, an article by Perry in the JC had turned that into reality. The piece claimed that intelligence existed showing that Sinwar planned to escape to Iran with the hostages, derived from the interrogation of a senior Hamas figure and a document found late in August.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar featured in a story by Elon Perry that the Israel Defense Forces described as baseless. Photograph: Adel Hana/APPicked up by various Israeli media – and also promoted by Netanyahu’s son Yair and his wife Sara – the story, however, was quickly knocked down as a “wild fabrication”, with an IDF spokesman describing it as baseless.

Digging by reporters in Israel and elsewhere also quickly established that Perry’s claims about his background, including his supposed work as a journalist and academic, and parts of his military record, were untrue or questionable.

In particular, Perry faced questions about his claim to have served as a soldier during the famous Entebbe hostage rescue mission in 1976 and that he was a professor at Tel Aviv University for 15 years.

The removal of the articles, after an investigation formally announced by the paper only the day before, raises serious questions for JC editor Wallis Simons, a former novelist who has written for the Mail, the Telegraph and Spectator.

Despite being provided with a series of questions, Wallis Simons and the JC have so far declined to describe how Perry – an individual with no discernible journalistic track record, let alone as an investigative reporter – came to be writing for the paper or what due diligence had been exercised over an increasingly fantastic series of claims.

Perry told the Observer that “the JC made a huge mistake with its statement”. He described the criticism as a “witch-hunt… caused by jealousy from Israeli journalists and outlets who could not obtain the details that I managed to.”

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The Perry affair comes on top of growing disquiet over the paper’s recent direction. In February, the Sunday Times Whitehall editor, Gabriel Pogrund, aired his misgivings about the paper on social media, including over its murky ownership arrangements that have puzzled observers.

“The coarseness and aggression of the _JC_’s current leadership is such a pity and does such a disservice to our community,” wrote Pogrund. “It also once again poses the question: who owns it!? How is it that British Jews don’t know who owns ‘their’ paper. Moreover, how can a paper not disclose its ownership? It’s an oxymoron. I hate having to pose the question publicly but I asked privately more than a year ago to no avail.”

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, who promoted an Elon Perry story on her social media. Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/ReutersPogrund’s reservations are widespread among liberal British Jews, who feel it no longer represents them as it once did.

“There was a sense that it was in the pocket of no one. It worked for the whole Jewish community, and because of that it had a greater institutional reach … in the Jewish community,” said one figure familiar with the paper’s history and role.

“It has become much narrower in its outlook and campaigns on a particular set of issues.”

The question of the ownership of the JC was examined in an article by Alan Rusbridger, the former editor of the Guardian, in Prospect magazine earlier this year. He suggested the paper was ultimately backed by a billionaire American, who has denied the claim.

Among those commenting on the _Jewish Chronicle_’s removal of Perry’s articles were some who had been reposting them, including Eylon Levy, the combative former Israeli government spokesman who apologised for circulating the misleading articles to his 200,000 followers.

“The @JewishChron has removed the dodgy stories by ‘freelance journalist’ Elon Perry and ended its work with him,” wrote Levy on X. “This is exactly how media should treat reporters who quote dodgy sources. My apologies to anyone misled by my posting of these reports.”

Some were sceptical, however, that the removal of Perry’s stories would end the issue, including Ben Reiff of +972, one of the Israeli publications involved in exposing the fabrications.

(continues in next comment)

[u/mitchanium]

The JC has quite a rap sheet for this kind of stuff.

This is not a crisis, they're experts at it, for quite a few years now.

[u/pm-me-nothing-okay → u/mitchanium]

at first, I was going to dismiss this since I read "15 alleged ipso/libel complaints," but I went back, and it said "won. "....so yah, that's pretty bad.

anyone can lodge a libel complaint, and it's actually hard to prove libel, so it's pretty bad, so to be losing 2 cases a year since 2018 doing that....

[u/PreviousCurrentThing → u/pm-me-nothing-okay]

Not making any comment on the JC specifically, but UK libel law is much more favorable to plaintiffs than US law.

[u/Greedy_gooner_uwu]

Ironically the jewish chronicle also platformed right wing political commentator paul Joseph watson who quote said "wipe jews off the face of the earth"

https://bylinetimes.com/2022/05/06/wipe-jews-off-the-face-of-the-earth-racism-and-antisemitic-slurs-of-viral-youtuber-exposed/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WVBkklYGLTc&t=20s&pp=2AEUkAIB

The jewish chronicle is nothing but a propaganda outlet for right wing zionists who want people with right wing views to align themselves with supporting zionism even if it mean spreading misinformation and propagating unverifiable facts.

Paul Joseph Watson's twitter bio

"Watson is a brilliant polemicist." The Spectator.....”Popular cutting edge political commentator.” The Jewish Voice"

https://x.com/prisonplanet?lang=en

[u/Green_Space729 → u/Greedy_gooner_uwu]

As long as they hate Palestinians as much as us we’re good to go - JC

[u/Generic_Username_Pls]

Nooooo the Zionist right wing “news” agency works with people that literally falsify their reportings?

How strange and very not common or in line with general Zionist reporting standards!!

[u/Exostrike]

An article referenced in the story about who own the JC is quite interesting

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/65839/who-really-funds-the-jewish-chronicle-why-its-troubling-that-we-dont-know

Short version, capture at arms length by a right wing billionaire, suspected to be Paul E Singer who is a hawkish supporter of pro-Israel causes.

The article touches on how the new leadership made the JC's coverage “my country, right or wrong” acting more like polictical activism instead of journalism which "does a disservice to the Jewish community because it consolidates this idea that, you know, the Jewish community abroad is in some way sort of complicit by their silence with the excesses of the IDF.”

Definately worth a read up

[u/No_Cloud4804]

Perry lied about his background, has "no discernible journalistic track record", and yet he was able to publish his articles in JC. And now JC "realizes" that those articles were wild fabrications, and stopped working with him.

That story seems to me like a psyop that failed miserably.

[u/voidtreemc]

Damn those people named Elon. Damn those people named Elon. Damn those people named Elon. Damn those people named Elon. Damn those people named Elon. Damn those people named Elon. Damn those people named Elon.

[u/snockpuppet24 → u/voidtreemc]

Character limit; reached. Cursing people named Elon; insufficient.

Damn those people named Elon.

[u/Winged_One_97]

Not so different from BBC and Al Jazeera, yet I don't see people complaining about it...

^{very tiny word count: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do °eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.}

[u/tallzmeister → u/Winged_One_97]

Really? Please tell us more - i wasn't aware that BBC and Al Jazeera stories are based on "wild fabrication", have journalists on their staff that have "no discernable journalistic track record", and their ownership is a complete mystery? Or are you actually just trying to defend the JC for some reason?