The reporter behind a discredited NY Times investigation alleging systematic sexual violence by Hamas on October 7 will appear alongside Hillary Clinton and key Biden foreign policy functionaries at a Columbia University event justifying Israel’s assault on Gaza.
Jeffrey Gettleman, the author of the New York Times’ discredited “Hamas mass rape” story, is set to share the stage with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an upcoming panel on “conflict-related sexual violence” which will feature several other high-profile State Department functionaries.
A description of the event, hosted by Columbia University’s Institute of Global Politics, cites what it calls “Hamas’s brutal acts of sexual violence against Israelis on October 7” as “evidence” that “conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is used widely as a weapon of war and a tactic of terrorism.”
While serving as Secretary of State in 2011, Clinton infamously embraced bogus claims that late Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi was distributing Viagra to his troops to carry out “wide-scale rape,” insistingthat “Gadhafi’s security forces” were “using violence against women and rape as tools of war.” Clinton’s false allegations of systematic sexual violence were intended to justify a disastrous NATO intervention that transformed a once-stable country into a despotic hellhole overrun by jihadist warlords.
Clinton will be joined at the Columbia U. event by US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who single-handedly prevented the UN Security Council from passing a binding resolution ordering a ceasefire in Gaza on several occasions. Rounding out the event’s roster of US government assets is Oleksandra Matviichuk, a US state-funded lawyer who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for her efforts to sue Russia at the International Criminal Court in a political stunt meant to showcase Moscow’s supposed diplomatic isolation.
The New York Times was forced to shelve an episode of its “Daily” podcast which was to be based on Gettleman’s article following a staff revolt over its dubious contents. The Times has not responded to an extensive series of questions from The Grayzone about the misinformation and fabricated testimonies which filled its piece.
Gettleman’s appearance on the Columbia panel highlights his proximity to a Biden administration that has backed Israel’s blood-soaked rampage in Gaza for over 120 days. The presence of key Biden allies and members of his foreign policy team on the panel makes it clear his administration will continue leveraging the discredited allegations of systematic sexual abuse by Hamas to justify its support for Israel’s siege and slaughter policy.
NY Times, CNN accused by own staff of “journalistic malpractice” on Gaza
Gettleman’s investigation, which declared that Hamas was responsible for “a broader pattern of gender-based violence on Oct. 7,” was unable to confirm a single instance of sexual violence. In late January, after Gettleman’s claims were comprehensively debunkedby The Grayzone, reports surfaced that an internal debate had emerged at The New York Times regarding the accuracy of his report. The issue had apparently become so contentious that the Times’ podcast, “The Daily,” was forced to make major changes to the script and present Israeli claims with significantly more skepticism.
But the final product was never released. According to The Intercept, “the producers and the paper of record” found themselves “in a jam” – either they “run a version that hews closely to the previously published story and risk republishing serious mistakes, or publish a heavily toned-down version, raising questions about whether the paper still stands by the original report.”
As one Times editorial staffer put it, their allegations of the systemic weaponization of sexual assault by Hamas “deserved more fact-checking and much more reporting — all basic standards applied to countless other stories.”
“There seems to be no self-awareness at the top,” the staffer added. But a glance at the masthead suggests the newspaper’s editors know exactly what they’re doing.
The New York Times’ traditionally pro-Israel line is reflected in the publication’s most recent choices for chief executive officer. Its current CEO, Meredith Kopit Levien, has been active since a young age in the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, and serves on the ardently Zionist group’s advisory board to this day.
Kopit Levien’s predecessor at the Times, Mark Thompson, is also a dedicated pro-Israel ideologue. Two days after October 7, Thompson assumed the top job at CNN, where staffers are on the verge of open revolt against what they have described as the “journalistic malpractice” their network has displayed in its nakedly partisan support for an Israeli military assault that has killed over 13,000 children to date.
“The majority of news since the war began, regardless of how accurate the initial reporting, has been skewed by a systemic and institutional bias within the network toward Israel,” a CNN staffer told journalist Chris McGreal.
While serving as Secretary of State in 2011, Clinton infamously embraced bogus claims that late Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi was distributing Viagra to his troops to carry out “wide-scale rape,” insistingthat “Gadhafi’s security forces” were “using violence against women and rape as tools of war.” Clinton’s false allegations of systematic sexual violence were intended to justify a disastrous NATO intervention that transformed a once-stable country into a despotic hellhole overrun by jihadist warlords.Clinton will be joined at the Columbia U. event by US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who single-handedly prevented the UN Security Council from passing a binding resolution ordering a ceasefire in Gaza on several occasions. Rounding out the event’s roster of US government assets is Oleksandra Matviichuk, a US state-funded lawyer who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for her efforts to sue Russia at the International Criminal Court in a political stunt meant to showcase Moscow’s supposed diplomatic isolation.The New York Times was forced to shelve an episode of its “Daily” podcast which was to be based on Gettleman’s article following a staff revolt over its dubious contents. The Times has not responded to an extensive series of questions from The Grayzone about the misinformation and fabricated testimonies which filled its piece.Gettleman’s appearance on the Columbia panel highlights his proximity to a Biden administration that has backed Israel’s blood-soaked rampage in Gaza for over 120 days. The presence of key Biden allies and members of his foreign policy team on the panel makes it clear his administration will continue leveraging the discredited allegations of systematic sexual abuse by Hamas to justify its support for Israel’s siege and slaughter policy.
NY Times, CNN accused by own staff of “journalistic malpractice” on Gaza
Gettleman’s investigation, which declared that Hamas was responsible for “a broader pattern of gender-based violence on Oct. 7,” was unable to confirm a single instance of sexual violence. In late January, after Gettleman’s claims were comprehensively debunkedby The Grayzone, reports surfaced that an internal debate had emerged at The New York Times regarding the accuracy of his report. The issue had apparently become so contentious that the Times’ podcast, “The Daily,” was forced to make major changes to the script and present Israeli claims with significantly more skepticism.But the final product was never released. According to The Intercept, “the producers and the paper of record” found themselves “in a jam” – either they “run a version that hews closely to the previously published story and risk republishing serious mistakes, or publish a heavily toned-down version, raising questions about whether the paper still stands by the original report.”As one Times editorial staffer put it, their allegations of the systemic weaponization of sexual assault by Hamas “deserved more fact-checking and much more reporting — all basic standards applied to countless other stories.”“There seems to be no self-awareness at the top,” the staffer added. But a glance at the masthead suggests the newspaper’s editors know exactly what they’re doing.
The New York Times’ traditionally pro-Israel line is reflected in the publication’s most recent choices for chief executive officer. Its current CEO, Meredith Kopit Levien, has been active since a young age in the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, and serves on the ardently Zionist group’s advisory board to this day.Kopit Levien’s predecessor at the Times, Mark Thompson, is also a dedicated pro-Israel ideologue. Two days after October 7, Thompson assumed the top job at CNN, where staffers are on the verge of open revolt against what they have described as the “journalistic malpractice” their network has displayed in its nakedly partisan support for an Israeli military assault that has killed over 13,000 children to date.“The majority of news since the war began, regardless of how accurate the initial reporting, has been skewed by a systemic and institutional bias within the network toward Israel,” a CNN staffer told journalist Chris McGreal.
