The Washington Post published a story early Tuesday about the violent protests in Gaza, including reports from the Palestinian Health Ministry regarding the number of dead and wounded.
That story included a baby who reportedly died after inhaling tear gas. (The baby was identified as Laila Ghanem or Layla Ghaben, depending on the publication.) Palestinian officials and multiple media outlets seized on the story, calling the baby a martyr. A public funeral was held for her on Tuesday.
Heartbreaking .. The farewell of the Palestinian baby Laila Ghanem 8 month who was martyred after inhaling tear gas that shot by Israeli occupation forces at the camps of the March of Return at the eastern borders of #Gaza yesterday .#Nakba70 #GreatReturnMarch pic.twitter.com/sAzUNqFgSK
— Palestine (@ALQadiPAL) May 15, 2018
When conflicting reports came late Tuesday from the the Associated Press indicating that the baby had died of a pre-existing condition, The Washington Post changed both the headline and the story without issuing a correction.
In which a WaPo story about Israel killing a baby becomes a WaPo story *not* about Israel killing a baby, without a correction. https://t.co/vrZbuUuDzF pic.twitter.com/vFxah7w6Vx
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) May 16, 2018
A simple Google search reveals that both the old headline and the updated headline are still carrying the same url.
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The updated version of the article also includes the newer details about the baby, but no note that any correction was made. “The Health Ministry also reported that a baby died after inhaling tear gas at the main protest area in Gaza. An unidentified doctor told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the baby, Layla Ghaben, had a preexisting medical condition and that he did not think her death was caused by tear gas.”