Media top headlines May 17
The Associated Press facing scrutiny for claims it didn't know it shared a building with Hamas and more round out today's top media headlines.
A left-wing Daily Beast editor accused a Jewish think tank analyst of being "paid by Israel" Monday and said the notion the terrorist group Hamas used human shields was "almost entirely evidence-free."
"Senior entertainment editor" Marlow Stern found himself in a back-and-forth with Erielle Davidson, a conservative policy analyst at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, after he joined liberal comedian John Oliver in blasting Israel's conduct against the Palestinians.
When Davidson correctly noted Hamas, the terrorist group that governs Gaza, employs human shields to protect its personnel and weapons depots, Stern fired back, "the human shields excuse: tired, dehumanizing, and almost entirely evidence-free. [Y]ou and other hawkish ppl who are paid by Israel to give them lip service can justify any loss of civilian by spouting off about ‘human shields’ with no evidence."
The notion that pro-Israel analysts and journalists are "paid" by Israel is an anti-Semitic trope that Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., also used in 2019. Omar was forced to apologize after she suggested pro-Israel politicians were paid for their stance by AIPAC.
Stern replied to Fox News late Monday night, calling the notion that as a Jewish person he had used such a trope a "false smear" and linking to financial reports about Davidson's institute’s pro-Israel work. However, the State of Israel does not fund JINSA nor any other American think tanks.
He also called it defamatory to suggest he denied Hamas uses human shields because he used the expression "largely evidence-free." Hamas has for years engaged in such tactics, however, according to international observers.
Davidson replied to Stern, "It is not ‘evidence’ free. Here's a UN report precisely on Hamas' use of human shields … I am not ‘paid’ by Israel. What a cretinous response. I just find your ignorance utterly astounding."
Davidson linked to a 2015 report where the United Nations, known for its harsh anti-Israel resolutions, acknowledged Hamas stored weapons and fired rockets from UN schools during the 2014 Gaza War. That was the most serious conflict between the two sides until the past two weeks, where Israel has responded to Hamas rocket attacks on civilians with air strikes on Gaza.
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Stern continued to attack, saying her work at JINSA was proof she was a paid lobbyist, but Davidson said it was a think tank that publishes security issue reports.
The argument stemmed from one of Stern's many recaps of left-wing comedians seeking to explain the news. In this instance, it was HBO's Oliver arguing on "Last Week Tonight" that Israel had perhaps committed a "war crime" by destroying a building housing Hamas targets that also included Gaza bureaus for the Associated Press and Al-Jazeera.
As The Dispatch's David French on CNN and others noted, it was Hamas, not Israel, who has been guilty of war crimes by firing indiscriminately at Israeli civilians.
Stern came under fire from critics for his remarks at Davidson, with one analyst quipping, "Nothing much to see here, just a [Daily Beast editor] accusing an American Jew of being ‘paid by Israel.’'"
Stern didn't respond to a request for comment.
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Stern is not known for his prowess on Middle East issues. One of his recent stories includes a careful deconstruction of Elon Musk's "Saturday Night Live" monologue.
This article was updated with a response from Stern.
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