Reuters makes light of Gaza rockets

Reuters has a long, sorry history of downplaying the threat to Israeli civilian communities from rockets and mortars fired by terror groups in Gaza.  In a cynical effort to portray these projectiles as only marginally more dangerous than fireworks, Reuters frequently characterizes them as "homemade" and "crude".

In a story on Israel's decision to delay deployment of its "Iron Dome" missile defense system near Gaza due to economic constraints, correspondent Dan Williams continues in the Reuters tradition:

While the north has gone quiet, sporadic fire still pesters towns inland from Gaza. The rockets are inaccurate and only rarely inflict damage or injury. But each firing triggers a loud alert, sending people rushing to shelters and keeping nerves on edge in towns such as Sderot.

We have already noted Reuters Orwellian reference to the hundreds of rocket attacks emanating from Gaza over the last year as "sporadic" and Williams here seeks to further trivialize the terror and trauma suffered by Israelis by characterizing the rocket fire as something that "pesters".  Moreover, note how Williams slyly suggests that the trauma is caused not by Palestinian missiles but rather, by the Israeli incoming missile alert system.  To ensure more credible reporting, we might suggest Reuters house its correspondents in one of the Israeli border communities.