When a Palestinian terrorist drove a truck into a crowd of Israeli soldiers Sunday morning the headlines from major media outlets pinned the blame squarely on the truck, avoiding headlining the story as a terrorist attack.
“At Least 4 Dead and 15 Injured in Jerusalem Truck Attack,” declared the New York Times.
The lede in the times read, “A truck plowed into a group of people as they were getting off a bus in Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon, killing at least four people and injuring about 15 others, the police said.”
The Associated Press mentioned the driver was a Palestinian, but headlined the story in a way that still called it a “truck attack,” not a terrorist attack.
The AP headlined the story, “Israel police: Palestinian truck attack kills 4 in Jerusalem.”
The Washington Post ran the AP story, tweeting:
4 dead after truck rams Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem. Police say driver was fatally shot. https://t.co/WRZf1KzFF9
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 8, 2017
When the Times tweeted the story there was no mention of the driver:
At Least 4 Dead and 15 Injured in Jerusalem Truck Attack https://t.co/r6KyFshfrS
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 8, 2017
The AP’s tweet was similar:
Truck rams into group of Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem, killing four people, wounding 15. https://t.co/vDug2AjZ7d
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 8, 2017
The headlines did not go unnoticed on social media.
The truck didnt ram the young Jews, an Arab Palestinian terrorist did. Please. @washingtonpost @AIPAC
— Ruth Jaffe Lieberman (@RuthLieberman) January 8, 2017
@washingtonpost What a horrible truck making that driver crash into people, call it what it is.
— Thomas Stevenson (@ExoqueUK) January 8, 2017
@washingtonpost call it what it is you dead beat newspaper radical Islamic terrorist attack
— gary gentilini (@twoclaws2) January 8, 2017
@nytimes “Truck attack.” Leave it to the NYTimes to mask terror & defend animals.
— (((D))) (@dschorrnyc) January 8, 2017
@nytimes It was not a truck attack. As in Nice and Berlin, it was a terror attack.
— Susan J. Berkson (@berksons) January 8, 2017
You’d almost think the truck would need a driver. @AP #ReligionOfPeace
— salty tears (@Dr_2A) January 8, 2017
@AP someone really needs to do something about that truck that keeps killing people on its own. Pffttt
— Michael (@FSU1001) January 8, 2017
@AP A truck did that by itself? Who wrote this headline?!? #APwasOnceGood
— RJK (@USGrantHero) January 8, 2017
Follow Derek on Twitter at @derekahunter