I wrote last month about the habit of The Washington Post to put stories about Israelis killed in suicide attacks on the front page, while Palestinian deaths at the hands of the Israeli army are buried inside the paper. It happens again today. Fourteen Palestinians, including three children, were killed during an operation initiated by the Israelis. The story is on page A11.
In a response to my post last month, The Post’s ombudsman Michael Getler said what makes the front page is dependent on many factors, including the day’s major stories. That’s fair. Apparently today, more important than these 14 deaths were a story about the “car culture” catching on in China, a follow-up story to the Baltimore water taxi accident and another of what some think are The Post’s attempts to hype a book by one of its reporters.
Meanwhile, reporter Molly Moore describes the Israeli action with words such as:
“… one of the most deadly encounters in months in the Gaza Strip, where combat has intensified…”
“The ferocity of the fighters’ assault underscored a trend of increasingly organized and sophisticated tactics against Israeli troops and improved cooperation among militant organizations in the Gaza Strip….”
“Palestinian officials said they believed the militant organizations were combining and refining their resistance….”
So there seems ample evidence that this deadly attack is part of a larger trend story, which might warrant front page treatment, especially given the number of deaths and the fact that children were also killed.
Let’s see where the next suicide attack story is placed.