New York Times Stealth Edits Article To Avoid Calling Hamas 'Terrorists'

The New York Times finally referred to Hamas as "terrorists" on Tuesday in a news story headlined "Hamas Leaves Trail of Terror in Israel" with a subheadline as follows:

"As Israeli soldiers regain control of areas near Gaza that came under attack, they are finding evidence seen in videos and photos and confirmed by witness accounts of the massacre of civilians by Hamas terrorists."

Previously, the Times referred to Hamas as "militants," despite the organization reportedly beheading babies and raping civilians.

But not long after the publication of the article, the Times made a noticeable edit. A stealth edit, that is. An updated version of the article omitted the use of the word "terrorist" and replaced it with "gunmen."

Here's a side-by-side comparison:

The article did not provide an explanation for the edit.

So, why did the Times tweak the label?

We asked the outlet over 12 hours ago. Unfortunately, the New York Times did not respond. However, if a spokesperson does, we will be sure to update this article with their response.

But while the Times ignored our inquiry, the editorial team made another change. They changed the subheading back to include the word "terrorists."

The Internet Way Back Machine, which provides screenshots of articles at various points of the day, confirms the Times switched the article back and forth, several times, rotating from calling Hamas "terrorists" to "gunmen."

The Times can't decide, post-publication, how it wants the article to read.

As for now, the subheading reads "terrorists" but the body of the article reads "gunmen."

For example, "Hamas gunmen, hitting more than 20 sites in southern Israel, killed more than 1,000 people, including women and children, and abducted an estimated 150 more people."

Defining Hamas should not be that hard.

Hamas targets women and children for kidnapping and then for sexual assault and slavery. The U.S. Department of State designated the group a “foreign terrorist organization” in 1992. The Hamas playbook resembles that of ISIS, a terrorist group.

A gray area exists only for political advantage.

Far-left coalitions like BLM, The Squad, and various college campuses refuse to call Hamas "terrorist" on the basis that its attack on Israel was justified in the name of decolonization.

The talking point is ghoulish. But nonetheless a talking point, one in which the Times appears unwilling to side.

The Times is not alone.

Saturday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) informed its reporters they are not allowed to call Hamas the T-word.

Over the weekend, MSNBC reportedly made 441 references to Hamas as either “militants” or “the fighters."

Conclusion: even the murder of children will not prevent the legacy media from pandering to its far-left audience.

That's shameful. And it underscores the compromised state of the industry.