The New York Times hit back at “activists and partisans” that “publish speculation or unverified information” following backlash to how the newspaper described the apparent highjacking attempt of FlyDubai Flight 1073.

“Our headlines and live coverage contain all the facts we’re able to confirm as we confirm them. Unlike activists and partisans, we don’t publish speculation or unverified information,” the Times wrote on X. The newspaper included a gift link to “follow along as we update our reporting.”

The Times originally posted, “Breaking news: A plane flying from Dubai to Israel was diverted after an altercation between the pilot and co-pilot, Israeli officials said.”

Many responded to use of the word “altercation.”

“Anything that happens to Israelis, the NYT downplays. Anything that happens to Palestinians they exaggerate and then issue a correction,” wrote Eyal Yakoby on X. The Times responded directly to Yakoby’s tweet with its gift link message.

“The double standard for Israel has never been more blatant,” legal analyst Mehek Cooke, who has appeared on Fox & Friends and Newsmax, wrote. “A pilot allegedly STABBED the captain and tried to crash a plane full of Israelis. The New York Times: an ‘altercation.’ Amazing how quickly suspected terrorism gets sanitized when Israelis are the target.”

The Israel-bound flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia after its co-pilot stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the plane. There were 160 to 180 passengers on board, most of whom are Israeli nationals. A replacement plane later carried the passengers from Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, to Tel Aviv, Israel.

The Times reported that three officials speaking on the condition of anonymity told the news outlet that “the pilot who they believed had carried out the aggression was a citizen of Oman.” The newspaper added, “The Omani foreign ministry declined to immediately comment.”

The Times also noted that a spokesperson for FlyDubai initially said “only that an altercation broke out and that crew members who were on duty secured the aircraft.”

The identity of the would-be hijacker has not been revealed.

The post NYT Slams ‘Activists and Partisans’ Fuming Paper Didn’t Label Plane Takeover a Hijacking first appeared on Mediaite.

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