Matthew Weaver
The Guardian / September 15, 2024
David Baddiel and Jonathan Freedland among those to resign over articles by former IDF soldier Elon Perry,
The weekly title, the world’s oldest Jewish newspaper, is facing calls for an investigation after it deleted nine articles by Elon Perry because of doubts over their accuracy and concerns he had misrepresented his CV.
The sensationalist articles by the former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier allegedly included fabricated claims about Israeli intelligence.
In a brief statement on Friday announcing the deletion of the articles, the paper said it was not satisfied by some of Perry’s claims.
“The Jewish Chronicle has concluded a thorough investigation into freelance journalist Elon Perry, which commenced after allegations were made about aspects of his record. 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.”
“The Jewish Chronicle maintains the highest journalistic standards in a highly contested information landscape and we deeply regret the chain of events that led to this point. We apologise to our loyal readers and have reviewed our internal processes so that this will not be repeated.”
On Sunday, four of the paper’s best-known columnists, David Baddiel, Jonathan Freedland, David Aaronovitch and Hadley Freeman, announced they had resigned in protest over the scandal.
In a letter to the editor, Jake Wallis Simons, posted on X, Freedland said he was quitting the paper to which he had contributed for 26 years, and which his father began writing for in 1951.
Freedland, who is also a columnist and podcaster for the Guardian, wrote: “The latest scandal brings great disgrace on the paper – publishing fabricated stories and showing only the thinnest form of contrition – but it is only the latest. Too often, the JC [Jewish Chronicle] reads like a partisan, ideological instrument, its judgements political rather than journalistic.”
He added: “Of course, all newspapers make mistakes and run articles that writers on the paper dislike. The problem in this case is that there can be no real accountability because the JC is owned by a person or people who refuse to reveal themselves. As you know, I and others have long urged transparency, making that case to you privately – but nothing has happened.”
Freedland said he hoped to return to working for the paper but only when it “returns to its best traditions”.
Aaronovitch reposted Freedland’s comments, saying: “I have done the same”. Baddiel retweeted Freedland’s post. The writer and comedian’s spokesperson said: “David has no plans to write any more columns for the paper but there is no further comment at this stage.”
Freeman, a Sunday Times journalist, said in a separate post marking her departure that recent events at The Jewish Chronicle had “made it impossible for me to stay”.
Nazir Afzal, a former chief prosecutor for north-west England and a former member of the independent press regulator Ipso, said he had been following the saga with “great dismay”. Writing on X, he said: “I think a ‘standards investigation’ is overdue.”
Perry’s articles purported to describe detailed accounts of Israeli operations and Israeli intelligence on the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Last week Israeli press described his articles as “fabrications” and suggested they had been placed in the European media to support Benjamin’s Netanyahu’s negotiating position over Gaza.
Earlier in the month, the Israeli prime minister suggested that if the Gaza border area with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, was not under Israeli military control, then Sinwar could use it to escape, perhaps taking hostages with him.
The following day, an article by Perry in the JC claimed that intelligence existed showing Sinwar planned to escape to Iran with the hostages. The story was later dismissed as a “wild fabrication” by the IDF.
Perry’s claims about his background, including his supposed work as a journalist and academic, and parts of his military record, were also questioned in the Israeli press.
Wallis Simons and the JC have so far declined to describe how Perry came to write for the paper, and remained tight-lipped about its ownership.
Perry told The Observer that the JC had made a “huge mistake” in announcing the deletion of his articles. He described the criticism as a “witch-hunt … caused by jealousy from Israeli journalists and outlets who could not obtain the details that I managed to”.
On Sunday, Wallis Simons wrote on X that it was “every newspaper editor’s worst nightmare to be deceived by a journalist”.
“The @JewishChron has cut all ties with the freelancer in question and his work has now been removed from our website. Readers can be assured that stronger internal procedures are being implemented.
“I understand why some columnists have decided to step back from the paper. I am grateful for their contributions and hope that, in time, some of them will feel able to return. I take full responsibility for the mistakes that have been made and I will take equal responsibility for the task of making sure nothing like this can happen again.”
There have been questions over the ownership of the JC, with The Guardian’s former editor Alan Rusbridger suggesting in an article in Prospect magazine this year that it was ultimately backed by a billionaire American, who has denied the claim.
Matthew Weaver is a Guardian reporter
