Most of us are familiar with the term “the fog of war” to describe the gauzy details that emerge in the breaking news environment of an outbreak of hostilities. Originally, it had been a description applied to military matters, but in the past generation or so, it has expanded to include the information pathways that emerge when conflicts erupt. What we have sadly come to expect is that news outlets are often the ones operating a fog machine as news breaks.
This being a common occurrence, and also due to the sensitivities attached to the activity, one would consider that news outlets may take extra precautions when rushing to get their coverage put out; as we have come to expect, the polar opposite is true. Recall when the Israel-Hamas war broke there was excitable reporting that Israel had targeted a hospital in Gaza, killing up to 500. That turned out to be 180 degrees out of phase, as it was an errant Hamas retaliatory rocket that hit that building, and now the press may have another Al Ahli episode on its hands.
After the Worst False Wartime Journalism, Major News Outlets Blame Social Media for ‘Misinformation’
Shocking New Evidence Shows Massive Hamas and Media Disinformation Campaign on 'Bombed' Hospital
Social media on Saturday exploded with the news that a girl’s school in Minab had been struck. The posts usually described this as an “attack,” and skepticism should have been the initial reaction. With footage coming out of the attacks showing the surgical precision of the strikes — with scalpel-specific hits on radar domes and kamikaze drones sliding between buildings to hit particular targets — the concept of a school being destroyed did not fit that blueprint.
The news outlets exercised no caution. ABC News came out with an initial headline on the hit.
The toll from a strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran, has risen to 57 students dead and 60 others injured, according to Iran's semiofficial Tasnim News Agency, which cited the local governor. Follow live updates: https://t.co/R2WrA5ei3C
— ABC News (@ABC) February 28, 2026
Hours later, it was followed by the Associated Press, then the New York Times, and this led to a permissive floodgate opening for many others. All of these described what took place as a “strike,” and the death toll elevated with each subsequent report, with numbers climbing to nearly 60 students and dozens more residents.
All of which was based on a solitary source: Iranian officials. The news outlets that found themselves tripped up by Hamas and forced to issue mousy corrections regarding the false claims of Israel bombing that hospital have apparently learned no lessons. Speculation now is trending towards the reality that at least one Iranian rocket may have misfired and caused the tragedy with the gentry.
Eventually, these reports would get around to mentioning U.S. defense officials commenting on this claim.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that they will look into the reports. “We are aware of reports concerning civilian harm resulting from ongoing military operations. We take these reports seriously and are looking into them,” said Captain Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson. “The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will continue to take all precautions available to minimize the risk of unintended harm."
At this time, there has been no direct confirmation on the source of this tragedy, which is entirely the point. Remember that old journalism standard of getting confirmation, corroboration, and/or multiple sourcing for a report? There were plenty of other reasons for the media to back off the throttle on this story.
One of the complaints heard about these strikes on Saturday morning was that they took place during the Islamic Sabbath. Are schools normally filled during those times? Also of note is the energy by these news outlets to cover these deaths involving the school, when, for the past few weeks, they have been extremely hesitant to detail how Iranian authorities have been exterminating tens of thousands of dissidents who have been protesting the regime for the past month or so.
It is not so difficult to use less inciting language and cautionary phrasing when reporting on this event. Yet, these outlets that take care to use “alleged” when covering, say, the shooting committed by Luigi Mangione caught on camera, have no hesitation to lean on a “strike” taking out this school. That the information derived from Iranian officials — and closely mirrors the messaging heard from Hamas for years — was not a trigger for the press to use caution.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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