John Mac Ghlionn takes on a recent article by Michael Ames published at The Free Press, which accuses journalists and aid agencies of “rhetorical manipulation” in discussing the conflict in Gaza, and claims to debunk the notion that the territory is facing a famine.
“What is happening in Gaza right now is not ambiguous. It is not speculative. The United Nations has warned repeatedly of impending famine. UNICEF has documented the collapse of clean water and sanitation. USAID’s own chief, Samantha Power – no stranger to statecraft or calculated language – acknowledged that Gaza was 'credibly' in famine. And that was over a year ago. But rather than confront reality, Ames performs semantic gymnastics, accusing others of exaggeration while cherry-picking anecdotes to build his case.”