New Book Unveils Systematic U.S. Media Bias Favoring Israel in Gaza Coverage

The October 2023 war in Gaza has generated intense global attention. In the United States, mainstream outlets such as *The New York Times*, *The Washington Post*, CNN, MSNBC, Politico, Axios, USA Today and the Associated Press shape public opinion and inform policy debates. The Biden administration has continued unrestricted aid to Israel despite growing Democratic opposition ahead of the 2024 election.

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Journalist Adam Johnson’s book, *How to Sell a Genocide*, analyzes more than 12,000 print articles and 5,000 TV segments from the outlets above. Key statistics include:

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• The phrase “right to defend itself” appeared 755 times for Israel and only eight times for Palestinians on CNN/MSNBC during the first 90 days; print media invoked Israel’s right over 100 times more often than for Palestinians.

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• “Human shields” was used roughly 800 times to describe Palestinians on CNN/MSNBC and hundreds of additional times in print, while Israeli use of the term was absent.

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• Emotive words such as “massacre,” “slaughter,” “savage” and “barbaric” were applied exclusively to the killing of ~1,200 Israeli civilians; they were virtually never used for the ~24,000 Palestinian deaths.

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• After the October 17 al-Ahli hospital strike, CNN and MSNBC adopted “Hamas-run” as an official label for the Gaza Health Ministry, a term previously absent from their coverage.

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• Child casualties: >10,000 children killed in Gaza versus 262 in Ukraine during comparable periods. Journalist deaths: 77 in Gaza versus eight in Ukraine.

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• Coverage disparity: 95 headlines focused on Harvard President Claudine Gay’s resignation, while only six headlines mentioned Palestinian children’s deaths; the *New York Times* ran 15 stories on Gay in a 31-day span but none on 5-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli fire.

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National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby described the Gaza Health Ministry as “just a front for Hamas.” The Biden administration echoed this language in briefings. CNN’s editorial policy subsequently labeled the ministry “Hamas-run.” In January 2026, the Israel Defense Forces acknowledged the ministry’s death count, confirming figures above 71,000.

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Human-rights organizations reject the media’s “human shields” justification, arguing it mischaracterizes civilian casualties. International-law scholars dispute the applicability of Article 51’s right of self-defense to Palestinians, noting the lack of recognized sovereignty. Some observers caution that Johnson’s focus on center-left outlets may limit the generalizability of his conclusions.

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Early U.S. officials questioned the Gaza Health Ministry’s numbers, while the World Health Organization, Human Rights Watch and the State Department had previously treated them as reliable. The media’s omission of documented Israeli use of Palestinian detainees as “human shields” represents a notable reporting gap.

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The identified framing patterns can shape public sentiment, influence congressional aid decisions, and affect accountability for civilian harm. Systematic bias may hinder informed democratic debate and obscure humanitarian needs.

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• “Ask anyone who has followed news about Gaza with even a smidgen of critical thinking, and they will tell you: Media organizations are biased against Palestinians — and systematically favor Israel.” — Adam Johnson, author

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• “demonstrate, beyond a reasonable doubt, that US media coverage of the war on Gaza was one-sided, racist, dehumanizing, and often veered into outright incitement,” — Adam Johnson

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• “Facing pressure to cut off support for Israel, Biden and several officials in his administration used similar language to suggest the death tolls could be exaggerated, including National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, who called the ministry “just a front for Hamas.” — John Kirby, National Security Council spokesperson

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• “to justify things like [the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] is Hamas, aid workers are Hamas, Al-Shifa [Hospital] is actually a secret command and control center, mass rapes were Hamas policy," he said.” — Adam Johnson

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The book’s release has sparked debate in media-ethics circles and prompted calls for independent audits of newsroom practices. Academic institutions and watchdog groups are planning comparative studies to assess whether similar biases appear in other conflicts and outlets.

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