Why did Mr. Kristof mention rape allegations against Hamas from Oct. 7, 2023, when there is no solid proof of them?
Kingsbury: We firmly disagree with the assertion that there is no solid proof of sexual violence stemming from the Oct. 7 attacks. The Times newsroom, along with numerous independent human rights organizations and other news outlets, has documented the brutal sexual assaults committed by Hamas-led militants. Times reporting on this is grounded in verified testimonies and comprehensive, on-the-ground investigations.
Readers suggested Times Opinion ran this report to draw attention away from a separate investigation by an Israeli civil organization documenting sexual assault committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and after. The Israeli government said The Times rejected an offer to review the report’s findings.
Kristof: The commission’s work had no bearing on the timing for my column, which had been undergoing fact-checking and editing for weeks. Otherwise, I’d refer you to the recent statement of Charlie Stadtlander, a spokesman for The New York Times: “The Times never passed on the Civil Commission report and wasn’t told about its completion or the timing of its release. Once the report was made public, we covered its findings.”
Doesn’t your reporting worsen the problem of antisemitism?
Kristof: This is a fair question, for antisemitism is a growing problem. I have wrestled with versions of this question my whole career. When journalists covered the Hamas terror attack of Oct. 7, 2023, we were aware that vivid coverage of Hamas atrocities risked aggravating Islamophobia. A week after the attack, a man in Chicago stabbed a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy to death, reportedly shouting that Muslims “must die.” The solution was not to soft-pedal coverage of Hamas. When I covered the Darfur genocide — committed by Arabs against several African ethnic groups — I knew my coverage might aggravate bigotry against Arabs.
The solution is not to look away. When you have interviewed rape survivors and seen their trauma and their courage in speaking up, you want to blow the whistle, whether in Sudan or the West Bank.
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