Posted on 05/16/2021 10:29:14 AM PDT by silent majority rising
Dear Associated Press,
I understand that you’re upset because Israel gave you only a ONE HOUR WARNING to vacate the building you shared with Hamas. (And then they wouldn’t give you ten more minutes to go up and get more stuff. The importance of careful packing!)
Your headline was “Shocking and horrifying: Israel destroys AP office in Gaza.”
I’m a little shocked and horrified myself, but not for the same reason. I see that, in paragraph three of your piece, you did get around to mentioning *why* Israel took down your building - it also housed Hamas military intelligence! (It’s so hard to know who the neighbors are, in these large, impersonal buildings.)
A few thoughts: * Of course, the fact that you shared your building with Hamas terrorists wasn’t very important compared to all the other things in your busy article: The fact that AP made “repeated urgent calls” to the Israeli military to “halt the impending attack;” that 12 AP staffers were “working and resting” in the offices when the Israeli military telephoned a warning, giving occupants of the building one hour to evacuate; that no one was hurt but that the office was a second home for your AP journalists; that this marked a “new chapter in the already rocky relationship between the Israeli military and the international media;” and that “press-freedom groups condemned the attack.”
* I’m very glad that, as you note, “Everyone was able to get out, grabbing a few belongings, before three heavy missiles struck the 12-story building, collapsing it into a giant cloud of dust.”
It might have been more clear, had you said: “BECAUSE OF THE ADVANCE NOTICE FROM ISRAEL, everyone was able to get out, grabbing a few belongings, before three heavy missiles struck the building AN HOUR LATER, collapsing it into a giant cloud of dust.”
(Though “collapsing it into a giant cloud of dust” seems a little dramatic for news writing.)
Just so you know: Israeli civilians only get a 15 to 90 second warning before the missile hits, not a full HOUR to evacuate. Israel advance-warns Gazan buildings to prevent civilian casualties, but Hamas doesn’t seem to think the reverse is necessary.
* Your emphasis seems a little askew: “Although no one was hurt, the air strike demolished an office that was like a second home for AP journalists.” (“Although Lincoln was killed, the theatre performance was really well-done.”)
* Of course you do get around to the Hamas neighbors in paragraph three. You say: “Press-freedom groups accused the (Israeli) military, which claimed the building housed Hamas military intelligence, of trying to censor coverage of Israel’s relentless offensive against Hamas militants.”
You sort of buried the lede (sic) there about how the building housed Hamas military intelligence.
But the end of that sentence is really clear: “censor coverage of Israel’s relentless offensive against Hamas militants.”
Not only do you portray Israel as the aggressor here - it is not only Israel’s “offensive” (presumably you see Hamas as playing defense), but it’s Israel’s “relentless” offensive in “censoring” coverage. And it’s not an offensive against Hamas *terrorists* - it’s against Hamas “militants.” Masterfully done: It’s completely clear which side AP is on!
* Your next paragraph is about how you placed urgent calls to the Israeli military, foreign minister and prime minister’s office, to try to cancel the demolition.
Sorry.
Hamas launched over 2,500 missiles at Israeli population centers. Israel is probably a little busy just now to take your call.

* Then the article quotes AP CEO Gary Pruitt, who says: “We have had no indication Hamas was in the building or active in the building… This is something we actively check to the best of our ability. We would never knowingly put our journalists at risk.”
Yikes.
I can totally see how it might be embarrassing for a major journalistic outlet like AP to have had no inkling that they’re sharing the building with the intelligence arm of the ruling Hamas terrorist government, especially after all that active checking.
(Gary, next time, throw a building party so people can introduce themselves.)
AP: “We would never knowingly put our journalists at risk.”
It’s good to know that you don’t knowingly put your journalists at risk (though asking for an extra ten minutes right before a building demolition might have been seen by some as just a little risky.)
* Pruitt added: “We narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life.”
Feel free to add: “THANKS TO ISRAEL’S ONE-HOUR WARNING.” (No need to send a fruit basket.)
* The article goes on to chronicle the hardships of the AP reporters: “For AP journalists, it was a difficult moment. Most of the AP staff has been sleeping in the bureau, which includes four bedrooms in an upstairs apartment, throughout the current round of fighting…”
Since much of Israel has been fleeing to bomb shelters; and since Hamas doesn’t supply shelters to Gazan civilians, because that money is spent on missiles, the AP offices might sound pretty cushy. But clearly we have to weigh all those Israeli and Gazan civilian lives against the comfort and convenience of the AP staff.
* The article continues: “In a territory crippled by an Israeli-Egyptian blockade, (the AP office) was equipped with a generator that offered the rare comforts of electricity, air conditioning, and running water.”
Thank you for giving Israel top billing here, it’s nice that you mentioned it’s also an Egyptian blockade: AP articles so often seem to forget this. A few words of context here would have perhaps been helpful: Maybe something like, “a blockade necessitated because of HAMAS’S VOW TO ELIMINATE ISRAEL, AS STATED IN THE HAMAS CHARTER, AND THEIR CONTINUAL SMUGGLING OF IRANIAN WEAPONRY FOR USE IN KILLING ISRAELI CIVILIANS.”
Also: It seems AP doesn’t realize that ISRAEL supplies a not-inconsiderable amount of Gaza’s electric and water. This week, though, many of Hamas’s rockets mis-fired and took down Gazan electric lines, so the Gazan civilians have less power than usual. (Also at least 20% of the Gazan civilian deaths are apparently due to Hamas’ carelessness with their missiles. Maybe AP could do an article on that next?)
* A few paragraphs later: “Early Sunday, Hamas fired a heavy barrage of rockets at the metropolis of Tel Aviv, saying it was revenge for flattening the high-rise building.” Again, your article might be more clear with some context, like: “NEEDLESS TO SAY, HAMAS DID NOT WARN ISRAELI CIVILIANS ONE HOUR BEFORE.”
Finally, nowhere does your article mention AP’s position on the Hamas policy of using journalists (and schools, and hospitals, and humanitarian organizations, and the private homes of Gazan citizens) as human shields, to try to prevent Israeli reprisals on Hamas military infrastructure, a war crime.
I could go on, but what’s the point? Journalism ain’t what it used to be. And it may be too much to expect anyone to do a credible reporting job in a country where there can’t be a free press, because Hamas points guns at heads.
(AP, at least you’re probably not paying rent to the terrorists anymore.)
So very sorry about your building.
Imagine claiming victim when you were given near an hour warning........
It’s like rushing down to the beach to watch the waves following a tsunami warning (as has happened multiple times throughout the world).
This is getting very very amusing. I’m continuing to read article after article about how the Associated Press suffered great losses in the attack on their office building.
They are paying far more attention to their losses than the loss to Palestinian lives during this conflict.
Boo fricken hoo.
<< quotes AP CEO Gary Pruitt, who says: “We have had no indication Hamas was in the building or active in the building” >>
Yeah, they were shocked to find gambling in that casino.
LMAO, yep, indeed.
lede does not deserve a (sic)
How convenient. Hamas terrorists and the Associated Press all in the same building.
Birds of a feather.
“Gary Pruitt”, is it? Do we have an address?
Dittos. Or is it dittoes?
(sic)?
Great article.
Poor little TINY Israel. The source of ALL those Muslims problems.
ALL THAT LAND. SYRIA. IRAN. LEBANON. IRAQ. SAUDI. EGYPT.
NOT ENOUGH.
THOSE DAMN JOOOOOOOOOZZZ!!
It’s funny because every once in a while you see one of these anti-Semites on the patriot channels pop up and try to do as little hints that the Jews run all the median nerve this evil dark forces
I separate Jewish people into two types : real Jews and self hating Jews
The definition of a self hating Jew.
Is one that votes Democrat. And hates Israel
Dear Fern Reiss
You failed to mention that the ultra observant AP did not know that Hamas had its rocket research HQ in the building, and that they launched their rockets in the street next to the building.
We are recommending a very well known and respected optometrist for your staff because their eye sight is so bad.
If that wasn’t the reason you misreported, we are recommending that the next time Israel is going to bomb your location that they accidentally fail to notify you.
“AP, at least you’re probably not paying rent to the terrorists anymore”
Maybe the AP could find out if Hamas did, indeed, own the building. If so, wouldn’t the AP be funding, aiding and abetting terrorism?
Terrific letter.
Does the AP have a base in Israel, or do they only hang out with terrorists?
“This is a tragedy! We just got a new Ricoh 7200 color digital press with expansion capability and had to leave it behind along with our beautiful new K-Elite Keurig! The pain is real!”
AP sucks.
ping
AP=All Propaganda.
If I was in charge of delivering that warning to the AP Building Manager, I’m sure my dyslexia would have caused me to accidentally call the manager of a building on the other side of town.
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