Was the media complicit in October 7?

You should always be suspicious about what you read, and who’s reporting it, unless you’re reading the weekend Jerusalem Post column of Yaakov Katz who always appears to be a stand-up guy, telling it like it is, with no agenda attached.

At a time when most reporters, whether they work in the medium of television, newspapers or the Internet, are more like activists, trying to advance their own political leanings, Katz does not fall into that tempting trap.  In fact, in his latest article, “The media was also responsible for October 7,” not only does he indict his fellow journalists but himself as well. 

Returning to the early days of 2023, when an IDF briefing took place, where the media was updated on the situation of Israel, he recalls how only a relatively small amount of time was devoted to Hamas and Gaza.  Of course, at that time, no one could have predicted the tragic events of Oct. 7, but most already knew that Hamas could not be trusted as suitable peace partners, given their massive barrage of rocket attacks in May, 2021, when Israelis got a good look at their capabilities and growing aspiration to inflict great damage upon the Jewish state. 

That should have been the red flag, causing Israel to reassess Gaza’s terrorist government as a replacement for the obstinate Palestinian Authority, who were never willing to forge any kind of peace agreement with a Jewish state they despised.  Nevertheless, enough hearty souls, within the intelligence community, the government and even the military, apparently weren’t convinced that Hamas was set on our total destruction.

This is where the vital role of the media miserably failed in their duty to mercilessly confront the same individuals who were assuring them that “Hamas had been deterred and that Sinwar was not interested in war.”

Holding them to a much higher standard, than the one in which they operated, Katz maintains that had they done their job, which was “to hold officials accountable, scrutinize their policies and decisions and to ask the tough questions that demand substantive answers, rather than refusing to accept vague unsupportive statements,” perhaps Oct. 7 could have been avoided.

By now, most of us have become greatly suspicious and highly doubtful of the leaders who always claim to be acting in our best interest. Because, as each day brings us new revelations of the hidden secrets which led to the deliberate disregard of very plausible information, based on viewed activities as well as overheard conversations, by those tasked with those jobs, preserving the narrative, that Hamas could be trusted, became the overriding agenda.  And the media dutifully complied.   

While the intelligence services, military brass and other government officials may have felt that placating the prime minister was in their best interest, journalists had the obligation to dig deep in order to find the holes and discrepancies in the assurances they were being given? Instead, they swallowed every baseless claim being made to them, concluding that all was well. Most troubling is that the only one beating his breast over this is Katz who recognizes that a grave error was made, as he expresses sincere remorse for having been derelict in their duty to get at the real truth.

Sadly, he is in the minority of a very small handful who have taken responsibility for their negligence and culpability in the greatest attack which has ever occurred on Israeli soil since the establishment of the state in 1948.

For those of us who rely upon being informed in order to properly prepare ourselves for what could possibly be brewing, we do hold the media responsible for abandoning their charge to provide us with essential news, which includes uncovering the lies, the fabrications and the wishful thinking of politically-driven ideologues who, rather than seeing the world as it is, prefer to “imagine” a different outcome, even at our expense.

In this case, their abdication of responsibility became deadly to the thousands who have already paid the ultimate price for the naivete, overconfidence and complacency, displayed by our leaders and the media, which led to the tragedy of Oct. 7. 

Of course, this doesn’t even touch on the irreparable damage, to the general public, who now wonder what they can or can’t believe.  For example, we’ve been told that Hamas has been significantly degraded, to a point where they have been rendered toothless.  Yet, the rocket launches of this past Shabbat, from Northern Gaza to Jerusalem and the Judean Hills area, cause us to have doubts, since Hamas still has the ability to launch rockets from Gaza.

Shouldn’t someone take the initiative to ask how much of Gaza is still under the control of the terrorists we supposedly defeated?  And if they still maintain a large enough presence to threaten our capital, how are we able to negotiate a peace deal when they clearly have not been deterred as we’ve been led to believe?

Most of us know that this war, which has lasted for well over a year, has resulted in the psychological and physical fatigue of our soldiers who have done their utmost to keep us safe and protect the homeland.  But if the enemy is still able to terrorize our citizens, at will, when will these brave men and women finally be able to return to their homes, their loved ones and the routine of their daily lives?  

If we are ever to come to a place of trusting the media, to give us the accurate truth, no matter how harsh or ugly, then they must do a lot better, by first taking full responsibility for their part in our tragedy.  Then, they must commit to endless investigation instead of capitulating to a hopeful but baseless fiction, which lulls its listeners into a false sense of security rather than adequately preparing them for the worst-case scenario. 

The media’s role, in the well-being of a nation, should be the ultimate safety net, making sure that every citizen hears the truth so that they can be well-equipped to deal with the reality on the ground as opposed to a fantasy version. 

That means asking questions which will irritate, aggravate and even offend those in authority, knowing, in advance, that they will probably be given a sanitized account of unsavory and even frightening developments.

If journalists care anything about the people for whom they claim to be providing an essential service, they might start their day remembering the precious lives who never had a chance of survival, largely because no one seemed to think that telling them the truth was critical!