The Lost Art of Verification

How consistent and to what degree are major newspapers exercising thorough, evenhanded verification practices when reporting stories of highly sensitive international conflict? Throughout Israel’s so-called Operation Protective Edge, a corresponding war of perception has been waged, one that can be boiled down to two symbolic and highly controversial words: human shields. 

Since the July offensive began, Israel and its supporters have repeatedly claimed in U.S. newspapers that Palestinians are being forcibly used as human shields. The problem is, no proof of that exists (“Israel/Gaza Conflict,” 2014). Even The New York Times acknowledged, “There is no evidence that Hamas and other militants force civilians to stay in areas that are under attack—the legal definition of a human shield under international law” (Barnard & Rudoren, 2014). Nevertheless, the unsubstantiated accusations persist. 

A content analysis will examine how often five national newspapers—The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Times—fail to meet minimal standards of verification, which would require that reporters, when accusing a group of using human shields, acknowledge that no proof actually exists. As the Pew Research Journalism Project says, “This discipline of verification is what separates journalism from other modes of communication, such as propaganda, fiction or entertainment” (“Principles of Journalism”). 

The content analysis will evaluate and code all accusations of “human shield” being used by newspapers in both its news and opinion sections. Some possible coding categories include: attributed to only one side in general; attributed to a government official from only one side of the conflict; attributed to unnamed sources; attributed to no one; and attributed without giving the opposing side an opportunity to respond.

This will be useful for media organizations that want to identify and avoid the clear bias caused by a lack of verification. News consumers would be interested in this research to learn whether newspapers are fulfilling their obligations when it comes to providing balanced, verified news.


Barnard, A. & Rudoren, J. News (2014, July 23). Israel Says That Hamas Uses Civilian Shields, Reviving Debate. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

Israel/Gaza Conflict: Questions and Answers (2014, July 25). In Amnesty International. Retrieved from http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/israelgaza-conflict-questions-and-answers-2014-07-25

Principles of Journalism. (n.d.). In Pew Research Center. Retrieved September 28, 2014, from http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles-of-journalism/