LONDON: Four prominent columnists have resigned from the Jewish Chronicle following allegations that the London-based newspaper published fabricated articles concerning Israel and its conflict with Gaza.
Jonathan Freedland and Hadley Freeman announced their resignations on social media early Sunday. They were joined by fellow columnists David Baddiel and David Aaronovitch.
Freedland criticized the JC for showing only minimal contrition, while Freeman stated that recent events made her continued association with the paper untenable.
A statement from a spokesperson for Baddiel said on Sunday the comedian also had “no plans to write any more columns” for the JC.
The controversy erupted on Friday after the Israel Defense Forces revealed details from an investigation into the JC’s articles, finding some to be untrue.
The JC has since removed the disputed articles and severed ties with Elon Perry, a freelance journalist and former IDF member responsible for several high-profile stories.
One of Perry’s articles, published on Sept. 5, claimed that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning to escape to Iran through the Philadelphi Corridor.
The story, purportedly based on leaked intelligence documents, was widely reported and shared by media in Israel, including by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son.
However, the IDF later stated it had no knowledge of such documents.
To whoever is interested in such things, I’ve resigned as a columnist from @JewishChron. I’m immensely grateful for all the support I’ve had from the editors during my time there, and enjoyed writing for it enormously. But recent events have made it impossible for me to stay.
— Hadley Freeman (@HadleyFreeman) September 15, 2024
The JC conducted an internal review and concluded that while Perry’s military background was verified, it could not substantiate some of his claims.
Consequently, the JC issued a statement on Friday saying it had removed Perry’s articles from its website and ended its association with him.
“While we understand he did serve in the Israel Defense Forces, we were not satisfied with some of his claims,” it said. “We have therefore removed his stories from our website and ended any association with Mr. Perry.”
Freedland, a senior columnist for The Guardian, said on Sunday that he was quitting the JC, which he has contributed to for 26 years, saying the latest scandal “brings great disgrace on the paper.”
On X, he said: “Too often, the JC reads like a partisan, ideological instrument, its judgements political rather than journalistic.”
Freeman, who is also a contributor to The Sunday Times, told BBC Radio 4 on Monday that she and the other resigning columnists “felt there had not been editorial standards” applied to Perry “because this journalist adhered to an ideology that perhaps was similar to that of the editorial board.”
In response, Perry claimed that the JC’s statement was a “huge mistake” and suggested that the criticisms were driven by “jealousy.”
