The BBC rejected White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s claims that the news outlet took “the word of Hamas” when reporting on casualties in Gaza.
During Tuesday’s press briefing, Leavitt claimed the BBC retracted a story that featured statistics on deaths caused by Israeli forces in a story.
“The claim the BBC took down a story after reviewing footage is completely wrong. We did not remove any story and we stand by our journalism. Karoline Leavitt criticised the BBC for changing the number of casualties in the story’s headline. The corporation said its coverage was updated with new figures throughout the day, which is ‘totally normal practice on any fast-moving news story,’” the BBC said in a statement.
The media company said the number of deaths reported was “always clearly attributed, from the first figure of 15 from medics, through the 31 killed from the Hamas-run health ministry to the final Red Cross statement of ‘at least 21’ at their field hospital,” the statement added.
BBC noted there were conflicting reports describing a violent attack on individuals seeking aid at a distribution center in Rafah on Sunday.
“The administration is aware of those reports and we are currently looking into the veracity of them because unfortunately unlike some of those in the media we don’t take the word of Hamas with total truth, we like to look into it, unlike the BBC,” Leavitt said Tuesday.
Since November, experts have warned that the population in northern Gaza is at “imminent risk” of starvation. Israel blocked aid from entering Gaza in March with support from the White House after Hamas’s refusal to agree to a second ceasefire deal.
The BBC said Israel does not allow international news organizations into Gaza, making it difficult to verify what is happening in the territory. But BBC maintained that it continues to adhere to journalistic standards.
The Washington Post issued a correction to its story regarding the incident in Rafah on social platforms, explaining its article did not meet the Post’s fairness standards and lacked proper attribution.
“We told you we’d hold the Fake News accountable,” Leavitt wrote in response to the post.