Guardian revises highly inappropriate terror headline

Yesterday we commented on an extremely problematic headline and strapline accompanying a Guardian report on yesterday’s terror attack in Jerusalem, where 2 Israeli policewoman were wounded by three Palestinians who stabbed and shot them outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem.

We noted the following:

  • The headline led with the police reaction to the Palestinian terror attack, not the attack itself.  
  • The strapline claims the terrorists merely had knives, despite the fact that the article itself makes clear they had knives and guns, and that the attack began when “one of the suspects drew his gun and opened fire”.
  • Finally, we criticized the photo caption for misleadingly telling readers that Israeli officers “shot dead” three Palestinians without noting that the Palestinian attack precipitated the police response.

Several hours after our post, the headline and strapline were improved. Here’s a before and after:

before

As you can see, the headline now includes the death of the policewoman, and now deals entirely with the Israeli victim, not the perpetrator.  Also, note that the strapline now includes the fact that the terrorists were armed with guns and pipe bombs, not just knives.

Though we didn’t complain directly to Guardian editors, there’s a strong possibility that the strong reaction on social media sites played a part in their decision to revise the article.

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