Even Hamas is No Longer Claiming What the Media's Been Claiming

Plus, the dangers of media misusing "the science is clear," climate change, and concussions in the NFL

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Episode 10 tackles multiple topics, so I’m breaking them up into a few newsletters. Subscribe here to receive all of them:

Yesterday, I looked at a new study on whether fathers have worse heart health than non-fathers, but also live longer. Today, the topic that listeners have asked me about the most: whether the media is still trusting Hamas claims of casualty figures from Gaza. Sadly but unsurprisingly, the answer is yes. And not only that, but they’re still ignoring Israel’s reports of the number of terrorists killed.

For months news organizations have been claiming that the “vast majority” of those killed in Gaza are women and children. Now, even Hamas isn’t saying that. Will any of these news agencies admit that they should not have been parroting this claim in the first place?

I share a clip of this great segment from Chris Kenny on Sky News Australia. Sometimes, commentators are the ones willing to state things as they are, while traditional reporters are too afraid of how they’ll come across. I also share a terrific clip of Dan Abrams on NewsNation calling out the media.

Meanwhile, people who reeeeally want to believe Hamas claims are using a piece from Time as their big excuse. It falsely claims that “the science is clear.” (As a rule, I try not to link to misleading or inaccurate pieces. But in case you want to let the folks at Time now how bad it is, here’s a link.) It’s an op-ed, not a news report, so technically this isn’t Time itself making the claim. But you wouldn’t know that without scrolling all the way down.

I break down the two “studies” being cited in this Time column. I explain how dangerous it is to claim that “the science is extremely clear” when that’s not the case. Will people trust climate science?

I also discuss this phrase in the context of concussions among football players, something I discussed in this event with two Super Bowl winners, Ronnie Lott and his son Ryan Nece:

What you can do

Want to call out the media for still citing Hamas claims? Feel free to copy and paste this text into an email and send it to the heads of any news agency. (Just Google to find their email addresses, or contact me for help.)

Why are you still trusting Hamas claims about what’s happening in Gaza, including alleged death tolls, and ignoring Israel’s reports of the number of terrorists killed? Hamas is a terrorist organization with a long record of lying. Even Hamas itself has dramatically reduced the number of women and children allegedly killed. Please listen immediately to the podcast They Stand Corrected, which breaks down this terrible reporting.

To reach Time about the op-ed I mentioned, you can send a note to letters@time.com with a note like this:

You ran an op-ed falsely claiming that “the science is extremely clear” about Hamas claims of death tolls from Gaza. In fact, as the podcast They Stand Corrected explains, the science is far from clear. This claim could make it more difficult for people to trust scientific findings on other issues. Please take immediate action by labeling it as “opinion” at the top of the page and by adding an editor's note stating that the science is not “clear” as far as Time is concerned.

Keep your questions and comments coming! Paid subscribers, post in the comments section below. Is fact checking the news worth $3/month to you? You can still support at this low rate for a limited time.

Everyone else, you’ll find a form you can fill out at my website, joshlevs.com.

Thanks all,

JL