The Pulitzer Prize has triggered a firestorm of criticism over its selection of Mosab Abu Toha as this year’s recipient for commentary. Abu Toha was specifically recognized for his commentary on Gaza despite being criticized for antisemitic and virulent attacks on those killed or taken hostage by Hamas. As we have previously discussed, the Pulitzer committee has long been accused of a far-left bias and awarding the prize for stories later disproven, including the Russian conspiracy claims.
Abu Toha wrote a series of essays in the New Yorker describing the ongoing war in the enclave. The New Yorker was not deterred by Abu Toha’s controversial attacks on the victims of the October 7th massacre.
HonestReporting exclusively ran some of these statements soon after the award was announced on May 6th.
On January 24, 2025, Abu Toha posted an attack on Israeli hostage Emily Damari:
How on earth is this girl called a hostage? (And this is the case of most ‘hostages’). This is Emily Damari, a 28 UK-Israeli soldier that Hamas detailed on 10/7… So this girl is called a ‘hostage?’ This soldier who was close to the border with a city that she and her country have been occupying is called a ‘hostage?’
Just to be clear, Damari is a civilian who was shot twice and abducted from her home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7. Like many in Israel, she has served in the military. However, she was shot and kidnapped from her home and held for 471 days. She lost two fingers and her wounds were poorly treated while she was held in deplorable conditions.
Abu Toha also attacked Israeli hostage Agam Berger in posts on February 3, 2025:
The Israeli ‘hostage’ Agam Berger, who was released days ago participates in her sister’s graduation from an Israeli Air Force officers’ course. These are the ones the world wants to share sympathy for, killers who join the army and have family in the army! These are the ones whom CNN, BBC and the likes humanize in articles and TV programs and news bulletins.
It also ignores the children and young people killed or kidnapped by Hamas. Indeed, Abu Toha has challenged claims on how Kfir Bibas (9 months) and Ariel Bibas (4) were killed by their captors. He posted February 21, 2025:
Shame on BBC, propaganda machine. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said ‘forensic findings’, which have not been seen by the BBC, suggested the boys had been killed with ‘bare hands.’ If you haven’t seen any evidence, why did you publish this. Well, that’s what you are, filthy people.
An Israeli forensic analysis found that the two small boys were killed by the murderers’ “bare hands.” The calling of Jews and their supporters “filthy people” has long been an antisemitic trope.
In addition to attacking “Zionists” and mainstream media, Abu Toha also pushed false claims that Israel bombed the Al-Ahli Hospital on October 17, 2023. It was instead hit by a misfired Islamic Jihad missile. The reported deaths were also wildly exaggerated in the incident.
What is striking about this award is that it is a recognition of Abu Toha’s commentary specifically on Gaza, the very subject of these shocking claims. The award reinforces the view of the Pulitzer committee that it seeks to make statements with these awards, ignoring serious challenges over the factual accuracy or content of the work.
The award given for the Russian conspiracy claims is an example of how the story seemed just too good to check for the Committee. After the basis for the allegations were disproven and the Clinton campaign found to be behind the infamous Steele dossier, the Committee still refused to rescind the prize.
Likewise, a prior controversy arose when former New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for her writing on The 1619 Project. The work was heavily criticized by historians and others for some of its sweeping historical claims over slavery being a motivation for the American Revolution and labeling figures like Abraham Lincoln as racists. According to The Atlantic , Princeton historian Sean Wilentz criticized that work and some of Hannah-Jones’s other work in a letter signed by scholars James McPherson, Gordon Wood, Victoria Bynum, and James Oakes. They raised “matters of verifiable fact” that “cannot be described as interpretation or ‘framing.’” They objected that the work represented “a displacement of historical understanding by ideology.” Hannah-Jones was also criticized for her role in purging dissenting views from the New York Times pages and embracing absurd anti-police conspiracy theories.
The award given to Abu Toha has obviously outraged many in Israel, who are still awaiting the return of the rest of the hostages taken by Hamas. It is difficult to imagine that the Committee, in researching Abu Toha’s commentary on Gaza, could have missed his virulent attacks and false claims.
I recently spoke at the Library of Congress on the evolution of American media and the record low levels of trust with the public. This is an example of why the public is turning away from the media establishment in favor of new media and social media. As I stated in the speech, the media has become a happy ship of fools in refusing to change course as revenue and readership/viewership collapses. Instead, the public sees a press that has abandoned objectivity and neutrality.
This is an award for opinion commentary. However, it is precisely the unhinged character of those opinions that have made the award to Abu Toha so disconcerting for many.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
Which leftist on the blog is willing to answer Douglas Murray’s question, or are all the leftists KKK?
I wonder how Columbia University would behave in the following scenario. A bunch of students and outside agitators descend on their campus. They are dressed in the gear of the Ku Klux Klan, being careful to conceal their faces so as to avoid any personal criticism. They then enter the university’s library and other sacred spaces of learning and chant for the lynching of black Americans…
https://nypost.com/2025/05/08/opinion/probe-foreign-influence-behind-terror-loving-anti-jew-college-agitators/?utm_campaign=nyp_postopinion&utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20250509&lctg=62680bbe38a279b1870b18c5&utm_term=NYP%20-%20Post%20Opinion
This isn’t the first time such a controversy has emerged about a writer’s work. A similar case swirled around a French writer called Celine (pen name).
C’mon
They leveled the parking lot!
And it was the PIJ who saw the Jewish hostages and thought they were being invaded.
After dispersing the nations at the Tower of Babel and placing them in charge of the “sons of the Most High” (Pslam 82, Deuteronomy 32:8), God set about creating a new nation that would be his own inheritance. Satan’s goal is to overthrow God and sit on His throne. He attacks anything that belongs to God, that God values. He therefore attacks the nation God created as his own inheritance, the one God formed through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
This explains why there will never be peace in the the Middle East, and any temporary peace will be a prelude to a greater war. Satan has created his own worshippers whom he induces to destroy what God loves, the nation God has created as His own inheritance, as a way of attacking God.
HOLY SHIT
I don’t normally pay attention to the journalism prizes. However, in my opinion, the Pulitzer prizes for Literature, Biography, and History seemingly have, in the past decade, been awarded to advance a particular socialist agenda resulting in the failure to recognize authors of arguably greater merit but less politically aligned.
Speaking of stupid awards, FAFO LETITIA JAMES!
The FBI has opened a criminal investigation into James’ real estate dealings.
But I found this in the NY Post article on James.
“The AG’s Office has retained high-powered attorney Abbe David Lowell, one of Hunter Biden’s top lawyers in the scandal-scarred first son’s special counsel probe.
Lowell was retained by the attorney general’s office rather than James in her personal capacity, according to a Times Union report, which means New York taxpayers will eventually foot the bill for his services.”
Doesn’t that make the State of New York his client instead of James?
Isn’t that a conflict of interest?
One can easily see that the interests of the State and a public officer charged with defrauding the state might diverge. Whom will he represent zealously?
Many lawyers have gotten into trouble by failing to forsee these conflicts.
Isn’t it just a show trial? Anything happen to Hunter, Joe anyone?
Yes, they should face serious prosecution. Trump gave info re Garcia to xinis. Said there were State secrets. He’s an FBI informant for quid pro quo non deport agreement. Generalisimo Mayorkas..
If Lowell is retained by the state he can represent James with respect to official acts.
But not with respect to personal acts.
If Lowell is paid for by the state and defends James for alleged misconduct that is not official acts,
then James and Lowell can be charged with public corruption.
Jonathan: If Mosab Abu Toha had written nothing else but those series of essays in the New Yorker he would have accomplished what the mainstream media in this country has decided to ignore–the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza. The Palestinians are now under constant bombardment. Israel has now destroyed every vestige of Palestinian civilization. Gaza now looks like Dresden after the Allied saturation bombing campaign during WW11.
Today Israeli airstrikes killed at least 16 Palestinian civilians–women and children. That’s just today. After the last 24 hours of bombardment 100 civilians lost their lives. In Khan Younis one girl was killed and four others severely wounded. Food, water and other essential humanitarian aid is prevented from entering Gaza by the IDF. Palestinians are now on the verge of starvation. Israel’s “starvation tactic” is a violation of international law. Most hospitals in Gaza have been forced to close and emergency medical or primary care is almost nonexistent. Israel is committing genocide in Gaza but you won’t read anything about this in the mainstream US press.
Except for Mosab Abu Toha. He will never let us forget!
Get a dome. Israel faces daily missiles for 50 years. There’s no solution ultimately.
Hamas has subverted billions of dollars and up until recently four of the Hamas leaders were yucking it up in Qatar at the expense of their people. One of the billionaire leaders was vaporized recently. The people are held hostage by these thugs. Neighboring countries don’t want them.
What is one to do when the Gaza terrorists killed, maimed, tortured and raped the Israelis? Just say, “Gosh, that’s okay. Bad on you?”
The Jews have occupied this land for over 3500 years. They were being nice when they offered Gaza. What did they do? Build Singapore? The built tunnels, have guns and bombs. Hamas subverted any good that could come about. They are cowards and hide behind the vulnerable in places like homes and schools.
They could have prospered but chose not to do this. So here we are.
Dennis:
You said “the Palestinians are now under constant bombardment.”
First, it’s the Palestinians and their proxies who deliberately bomb Israeli civilian centers, because the majority of Palestinians in Gaza support the destruction of Israel and genocide of Jews. This is true no matter what Palestinian organization is in power, from the PLO to Hamas. Therefore, this is similar to saying, “The Allies have Nazi Germany under constant bombardment”, except that the Allies carpet bombed civilians areas, while Israel does not.
It is Israel, and only Israel, that warns civilians ahead of time to leave targeted areas. Israel does its best to only target terrorists and terrorist installations. It’s difficult to avoid casualties, however, because Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields.
What you should also note is that Hamas regularly lies about its casualties. Within 30 minutes of an Israeli strike on a terrorist site, Hamas always reports massive casualties, mostly women and children. They have been proven to lie so often that even the UN quietly reduced its casualty figures for Gaza. It takes weeks to determine casualties, after a bombing. Think about how long it took to identify victims after the recent earthquakes in Myanmar. People had no idea who was still under there for quite some time, yet Hamas can use Xray vision through rubble and come up with a list of names. It has also been shown that men were listed as women in their reports.
There are an extraordinary number of hospitals in Gaza. Most of them are used by terrorists as bases of operations. Do you know why? Because Israel hesitates to strike a hospital. When it has to, because rockets are being fired from there, then it issues an evacuation order first. If Israel deliberately hit all hospitals, then Hamas wouldn’t hide there. Israel, as well as other countries, have poured billions in aid to Gaza. Israel treats Gazans in its hospitals, as well. Hamas just keeps stealing all the aid, keeps some for itself, and sells the rest on the black market, and then it claims that Israel is starving Gazans. Terrorists lie. I don’t know why people don’t understand that.
Finally, civilian does not mean non combatants. It just means not a member of Hamas. Plenty of civilians accompanied Hamas to gang rape and murder Jews, and many hostages have said that they were kept for some periods of time in civilian homes, including employees of UNRWA.
It basically comes across as your saying forget about the Holocaust, and the existential threat against the Allies. Instead, we should be really worried about all the Germans being killed in airstrikes against the Nazis.
If you want to protect Gazan children, then voice outrage that Hamas hides behind them, and lies about how many have died. Get upset at Hamas for almost always targeting Israeli children. Take issue with Hamas’ charter, supported by a majority of Palestinians, which has the goal of killing all Jews globally.
The Pulitzer committee can grant the prize to whoever they wish for whatever reasons they wish.
In doing as they are – they have destroyed the prestige and value of the Pulitzer Prize.
Instead of being an award respected by almost all, it is becoming one respected by few.
The approriate response to Pulitzer awards is to create a new prize and do a better job of awarding it.
Just as the new media is replacing the old as the old has become biased and untrustworthy.
Gaza may well loook like Dresden after the allied bombing campaign.
Israel and Hamas are at war. One in which Hamas started – just as the Japaneses started WWII at pearl Harbor.
The Japanaese people suffered – Millions of them because of the political decisions of Tojo and the Japanese government.
The Gazan’s are suffering because of the decisions of Hamas – the government of Gaza
That is how war works.
The US invaded Afghanistan over the deaths of 3000 people on 9/11 at the WTC. We invaded a country that at worst merely provided a safe haven for those responsible.
Hamas – the actual government of Gaza was directly responsible for Oct 7.
The Palestinian people – like the Japanese, and Afghans are paying the price for the acts of war committed by their govenrment.
That is how war works.
The plight of people in Gaza is horrible.
Just as those in Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Afghanistan.
War is incredibly bad for the people of a country.
I have no idea if your claims regarding Israel’s use of force in Gaza are correct – it is not like you are truthful, or the pro hamas press can be trusted.
But ultimately it does not matter – the Israeli’s are actually doing a better job of minimizing civilian casualties than the allies did in WWII or the US did in Afghanistan or Ira.
In afghanistan – Taliban killed 13 US soldiers possibly 200 other civilians as the US was leaving afghanistan – and Joe Biden murdered a family of aide workers in retaliation.
That is how war works.
I doubt Gaza is on the verge of starvation – Starvation takes months.
Regardless, Americans – particularly on the left engage in guilty handwringing over Hiroshima and Nagasaki
But Japan at the time was actually starving. The casualties from starvation in the next 90 days would have been in tens of millions – and the japanese leaders were fully prepared to commit national Hari Kari.
I can have sympathy for palestinians and the civilians who were on the wrong side of a war.
But that does not change that civilians die in wars – they die in large numbers, numbers far larger than those of soldiers.
The killing and destruction in Gaza can end instantly – the Palestinians can surrender and turn Hamas over to Israel for justice.
“Except for Mosab Abu Toha. He will never let us forget!”
Outside far left loonies like yourself – no one is paying attention to Toha.
“Gaza now looks like Dresden after the Allied saturation bombing campaign during WW11.”
No doubt unwittingly, that is a perfect analogy. And a well-deserved result.
Vance was right about the obligation to order one’s loves.
These disparagements have a strong whiff of bad faith. Not only is Vance’s statement correct, but it is also theologically unremarkable. None of the condemnations of his observation come close to refuting the essential point. This suggests that they are motivated by personal animus rather than informed by Catholic theology.
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2025/02/09/jd-vance-got-it-right-love-must-be-properly-ordered-opinion/78250367007/
Someone below said that Jesus never said it, but that doesn’t matter. Much of Christian doctrine is based on the theology and wisdom teachings in the epistles, which were written those Jesus sent, and who, according to Christianity, were divinely inspired – that’s why the epistles are part of the New Testament canon. Vance based his statements on the Apostle Paul, who was sent directly by Jesus. It is impossible to claim, with any coherence, that one follows Jesus but not the teachings of those whom Jesus sent with specific messages.
And I didn’t even mention: Jesus in fact did say it (read the linked article).
Consider the idea of praying for your enemies. Consider the idea of “love” ( care because God’s rain falls on good and bad) your enemies.
The idea is to preserve your good soul. Hate destroys your soul. The idea is to protect yourself from corruption. It is not a doormat but requires protection. When faced with evil it will grow worse with resistance. The appearance of cooperation is best. When a door opens or a window escape the evil.
The ideas of love and forgiveness are misunderstood.
Wait !!!
What’s going on here !!!!
I thought Trump was the new Pope.
He posted a picture of himself as Pope on his Truth Social account.
Was he lying ?????
EGREGIOUS INSOLENT IMPUDENCE AND NON-CONTRIBUTORY TROLLING SOLELY FOR TROLLING’S SAKE.
BAN FOR LIFE!
Here’s an idea.
Instead of Trump becoming Pope, maybe we could have the Pope serve as our President.
Oh, yeah, that’s a great idea (eye-roll)
Trump could still become Pope if Mike Pence has the courage to do his job.
Reports of illegal cardinals sneaking in and voting fraudulently!
News on Fox at 10.
African contingent ,2, Burkina Faso and Congo? Too old at 80. Age discrimination…all men. 😂
That’s why the guy from Chicago won.
Interesting.
Nobel Peace Prize. Oscars [any of them]. And now the Pulitzer Prize.
All turned to pathetic trinkets with no honors attached. Probably like the blanket of ribbons on Miley’s uniform.
Woke poisons all things it touches.
At least the Fields Medal is still a great honor worthy of accolades. They have to know what it is to corrupt it. And it’s an area of achievement that’s hard to fake.
The Pulitzer Prize lost its moral compass the day it crowned Walter Duranty. He whitewashed Stalin’s crimes, denied a genocide, and smeared those who told the truth. If that’s worthy of journalism’s highest honor, then the prize itself is propaganda, not prestige. This years winner is the same.
Another Pope of Politics?
Geeez. When can we get an actual Catholic in there? This is getting old.
Are you Roman Catholic? He only has the keys to the big prison for catholics. 1000 years ago the orthodox split away and the pope cursed them. They wouldn’t recognize his Supreme authority. They were all excommunicated, Greeks, Armenians, Russians Baltics etc. That was very harmful to all th9se people and that was pope Leo IX.
It’s focus is suffering.. the focus isn’t joy nor love, nor peace. It’s suffering. Just ask one.
He’s an American by address.
Joking? That is an actual catholic… what do you mean?
There is an interesting parallel between Pope Leo XIV and John Paul II. Both were unexpected choices and the Cardinals may have been sending a message about disorder in the world.
In 1979, less than a year after ascending to the Catholic Church’s highest office, Pope John Paul II returned to his home country, then under communist rule. He disembarked at the airport, knelt, and kissed the Polish ground. That moment was arguably the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union.
The world is now in turmoil because of Trump’s tariffs, trade wars and immigration policies.
Pope Leo had recently been very critical of the Trump administration’s treatment of immigrants.
JD Vance made a statement about immigration as follows”
“There’s this old school—and I think it’s a very Christian concept, by the way—that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens and your own country, and then after that you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world,”
The new Pope responded on X:
“JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
The new Pope has made several other statements critical of Trump and Vance.
Maybe, just maybe, the Cardinals are sending another message similar to that sent with the election John Paul II
Lunatic thinks everything that happens elsewhere in the world is to vindicate his irrational hatred of Trump. Yawn …
No moron
Jesus commanded us to love our enemies. You up for that?
Do you love Trump? Do you pray for him?
Didn’t think so.
It’s more translated as respect, not love. Caring…
I would doubt that the correct translation would be respect as respect must be earned.
And non catholics care because? Just another ayotollah with sharia
Charge him taxes … I don’t believe in 501 3c …charge property taxes, income taxes and no charity on donors Mr. Big mouth.
Now they’ve got a scheme to take your tax money in Oklahoma, too. Remove all 501 3 c from everyone
This is like awarding the Pulitzer Prize for Mein Kampf, or the writings of a KKK Grand Wizard.
#9. Most certainly, however the deciding Pulitzer board(s) appear more likely to be of the Marxist Socialists variety and so then but first cousins perhaps of the NSDAP (National Socialists), or KKK (Democrats).
https://www.pulitzer.org/board/2025
Not sure your ass-kissing the genocidal Zionists with this hit-piece will serve your historical record, Jonathan.
Wow, another Jew-hating lunatic. Yawn …
The Pulitzer is a total joke. Anyone who takes it seriously at this point is demented. I’m glad the professor pointed out ANOTHER example of this now disreputable institution.
Yep
Ok so, more evidence that the enemy is Islam? Twin towers wasn’t enough but more evidence . Pulitzer is trash heap. Ok.
The pulitzer is an award of shame now and not honor. Find out who pulitzer was.
Who was Pulitzer? He was a Choo, a chew. He set the format for journalism and public interest that lasted till now? He was Jewish. Of course it’s been destroyed.
“Your views and opinons are only valid if you can complete a physical challenge.” This sounds fallacious to me.
Is that really what was said?
If it was, it’s still not the fallacy you identified. Homework assignment: identify the right fallacy.
It was implied and suggested, and it is a related fallacy. You are kind of committing the same fallacy yourself.
No, you said it was an example of a particular fallacy, which it wasn’t. I’m saying, if it really is a fallacy, then correctly identify it. Can you?
#9. Sounds like the typical mating ritual of most would be suitors to me. Nothing wrong there, as long as it’s consensual that is.
Ugh. How did the Pulitzer Prize succumb to this?
Standards are lowered everywhere these days.
I am not sure what to think on this one. Is the Pulitzer for opinion and the good professor does not like other things that were written? Or, is what the award was for was opinion of which this was part of the winning opinion? It is not clear to me. If Abu Toha won for other opinion pieces than these examples, I am not sure of the problem other than distaste for the writer.
I think the problem is he got the award for reporting on a subject where he has shown no fidelity to the truth – and more than that, has shown a callous hatred for the lives of others.
No, he got the award for writing about his personal experiences in Gaza. How is that untruthful? That’s why Israel supporters are smearing him. Because he’s telling the truth and showing the world the attrocities that the Palestinians are enduring at the hands of the Israelis.
It’s the Israelis that are showing a callousness towards Palestinians and Turley is enabling that narrative by participating in the smear campaign against Abu Toha.
How is that untruthful?
Because he, like you, fabricates everything he writes. It has no connection to the truth.
You have no evidence that his experiences were not true. You’re just assuming. He’s recounting his own life.
We already know those reporting inside Gaza work for Hamas and Qatar. Many of those writers, even some who have been quoted on this blog, participated in the October 7 attack, held hostages, and kidnapped civilians. Some were exposed as high-ranking Hamas operatives. Idiots like George swallow it all whole. His moral depravity is obvious, which is why many suggest he stay far away from schools.
WAIT! There should be no war at all. Everyone knows Islam will not tolerate a Jewish State. Not now, yesterday nor tomorrow. It’s Islam causing the war.