Handout / Getty Images The New York Times is being criticized for allegedly romanticizing a top nuclear scientist for the Iranian government who was killed in November 2020.
The Times reported that the scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was killed by a remote-controlled machine gun that fired at the vehicle in which he was traveling at the time. The report states that the Israeli government was likely behind the assassination, as Fakhrizadeh was considered to be the mastermind behind Iran’s nuclear program.
In a September 18 tweet promoting the story, the Times tweeted: “Despite his prominent position, Iran’s top nuclear scientist wanted to live a normal life. He loved reading poetry, taking his family to the seashore and driving his own car instead of having bodyguards drive him in an armored vehicle.”
Despite his prominent position, Iran's top nuclear scientist wanted to live a normal life. He loved reading poetry, taking his family to the seashore and driving his own car instead of having bodyguards drive him in an armored vehicle. https://t.co/3SRBzQGjdO
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) September 18, 2021
Former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, who currently chairs World Likud, tweeted, “If you ask the @nytimes, Fahrizade was a poetry-loving family man. They ‘forget’ to mention that he was developing nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal of destroying the USA and Israel.”
If you ask the @nytimes, Fahrizade was a poetry-loving family man. They "forget" to mention that he was developing nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal of destroying the USA and Israel. https://t.co/AeTPhhrapY
— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) September 19, 2021
Other Jewish and pro-Israel Twitter users also denounced the tweet.
“Unbelievable this [New York Times] tweet remains up,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted. “Absolutely disgraceful to romanticize Fakhrizadeh as a ‘lover of poetry.’ Who cares about his hobbies when he made clear his true passion project was the annihilation of the only Jewish state in the world.”
Unbelievable this @nytimes tweet remains up.
Absolutely disgraceful to romanticize Fakhrizadeh as a “lover of poetry.”
Who cares about his hobbies when he made clear his true passion project was the annihilation of the only Jewish state in the world. https://t.co/duejjiIhfS— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) September 20, 2021
American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris similarly wrote that the Times tweet is “a new low for the paper.” “Apart from a key role in Iran’s goal of destroying Israel, he ‘wanted to live a normal life.’ Hey, as long as he loved poetry & the beach, why allow the planned murder of 9 million people to detract from his life story?”
Well, apart from a key role in Iran’s goal of destroying Israel, he “wanted to live a normal life.”
Hey, as long as he loved poetry & the beach, why allow the planned murder of 9 million people to detract from his life story, according to @nytimesworld?
A new low for the paper. https://t.co/hhCe0lodOb
— David Harris (@DavidHarrisNY) September 19, 2021
Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovksy, who heads the International Legal Forum, also tweeted: “I can only shudder at how [The New York Times] would have described Hitler today: ‘Despite his prominent position, the Nazi leader wanted to live a normal life. He was a vegetarian, loved art and reading poetry, and was a doting uncle.’”
I can only shudder at how @nytimes would have described Hitler today:
“Despite his prominent position, the Nazi leader wanted to live a normal life. He was a vegetarian, loved art and reading poetry, and was a doting uncle.”#Fakhrizadeh https://t.co/YWPEC12sW2
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) September 19, 2021
Adam Kredo, reporter for the conservative website Washington Free Beacon, noted that the Times reporter who wrote the story “recently had two formal complaints filed against her for pro-Iran bias and multiple faculties inaccuracies” and linked to a story he had written on the matter.
The NYT reporter who wrote this story whitewashing a genocidal terrorist recently had two formal complaints filed against her for pro-Iran bias and multiple faculties inaccuracies https://t.co/bMTWsSsOm2 https://t.co/qasoqvY7QJ
— Adam Kredo (@Kredo0) September 19, 2021
The Times did not respond to the Journal’s request for comment.
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