Guterres's farewell speech: Reuters leads on AI, the Jerusalem Post on October 7, Ynet calls it an attack on Israel
The UN Secretary-General gave his last address to the General Assembly on Tuesday. He spoke on Gaza, the West Bank, Sudan, Security Council reform and artificial intelligence. Five outlets reported the same speech, and each led with a different part of it.
One speech, five leads. António Guterres gave his last address as Secretary-General when the General Assembly opened on Tuesday. Each outlet opened its report with a different line.
| Outlet | What it led with | Israel or Gaza in the lead? |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Monitor (Reuters) | "regulate artificial intelligence, end wars" | No |
| The Jerusalem Post | condemning "Hamas's October 7 terror attack" | Yes |
| Ynet | "fear of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank" | Yes |
| An-Nahar | "military force alone cannot guarantee security" | No |
| LBCI (4 flashes) | wars, military force, the Security Council, AI | No |
Two ways to name the same things. Ynet says in its own voice that Guterres "attacked Israel". Ynet is the only outlet we hold that says so, and those are Ynet's words, not his. Its headline says "the West Bank". Its body says "Judea and Samaria". An-Nahar says "occupied West Bank".
Who is named as acting in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post names Hamas for October 7 and quotes him on "Israel's response". An-Nahar gives October 7 as a date only. It names no one for the killing that followed.
Where they agree. Two outlets quote him saying he had never seen death and destruction on this scale. Only An-Nahar carries his line that the Middle East ceasefire is "no more than firing, but less intense".
What is not settled. We hold no full text of the speech and no Palestinian outlet. We cannot say how long he spent on each subject.
What this is about. The head of the United Nations gave his last address to the world's leaders at the start of their annual meeting. Outlets disagreed about what the speech was mainly about.
How it got here. António Guterres is a former prime minister of Portugal. He became UN Secretary-General on 1 January 2017, and his second five-year term ends on 31 December 2026. Every September, leaders meet in New York for the General Assembly, and the Secretary-General speaks when it opens. An-Nahar reports that this session follows a severe financial crisis at the UN after the United States threatened to cut its funding. It also reports that the race to choose his successor is the main talk among diplomats.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas led an attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023. Israel answered with a military campaign in Gaza that has lasted for most of the time since. Israel has occupied the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem since the 1967 war. The UN and most states regard Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law. Israel disputes that.
Who is involved. Guterres has criticised the way Israel has fought the war many times. Israel's government accuses him of bias. In October 2024, Israel's foreign minister declared him unwelcome in the country. The UN supports a "two-state solution": Israel and a state of Palestine side by side. Israel's current government opposes a Palestinian state.
What is at stake. A farewell speech has no legal force. It puts on record what the outgoing Secretary-General wants. It also sets out the problems his successor will inherit: Gaza, Sudan, the rules for artificial intelligence, and reform of a Security Council where five permanent members each hold a veto.
Where it stands. A ceasefire is officially in place in the region. An-Nahar reports that Guterres called it little more than shooting at a lower intensity.
What is being argued about
- Which part of the speech was the news: AI, the wars, or Gaza and the West Bank
- Whether the speech was an attack on Israel, as Ynet put it
- What each report calls October 7 and the West Bank
- The Middle East ceasefire, described as firing 'but less intense'
Claims and verdicts
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
🇮🇱IL ·
newspaper · independent
Ynet
Ynet
🇮🇱IL ·
digital · independent
מזכ"ל האו"ם: "חשש לטיהור אתני בגדה; בעזה - היקף הרג והרס שלא ראיתי בכל שנותיי"
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Read it at Ynet →
What we have measured
A claim in the headline that the other reports very close to deciding the regime appears in one report only ×1Active voice The killers are the subject of the verbs 'beat' and 'burned'. ×1Active voice The killers are named as acting ×1Army's term, attributed the army names the target of its strikes, and no one on the other side is quoted ×1
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Ynet
Ynet
🇮🇱IL ·
digital · independent
מזכ"ל האו"ם: "חשש לטיהור אתני בגדה; בעזה - היקף הרג והרס שלא ראיתי בכל שנותיי"
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Read it at Ynet →
What we have measured
A claim in the headline that the other reports very close to deciding the regime appears in one report only ×1Active voice The killers are the subject of the verbs 'beat' and 'burned'. ×1Active voice The killers are named as acting ×1Army's term, attributed the army names the target of its strikes, and no one on the other side is quoted ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
🇱🇧LB ·
TV/radio · independent
Al-Monitor
Al-Monitor
🇺🇸US/ME ·
digital · independent
Who wrote it
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
Ynet
Ynet
Coverage, outlet by outlet
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
🇮🇱IL ·
newspaper · independent
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
🇱🇧LB ·
TV/radio · independent
Al-Monitor
Al-Monitor
🇺🇸US/ME ·
digital · independent
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
🇱🇧LB ·
TV/radio · independent
Ynet
Ynet
🇮🇱IL ·
digital · independent
מזכ"ל האו"ם: "חשש לטיהור אתני בגדה; בעזה - היקף הרג והרס שלא ראיתי בכל שנותיי"
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Read it at Ynet →
What we have measured
A claim in the headline that the other reports very close to deciding the regime appears in one report only ×1Active voice The killers are the subject of the verbs 'beat' and 'burned'. ×1Active voice The killers are named as acting ×1Army's term, attributed the army names the target of its strikes, and no one on the other side is quoted ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
— independent
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
🇱🇧LB ·
TV/radio · independent
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
🇱🇧LB ·
TV/radio · independent
Haaretz
Haaretz
🇮🇱IL ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
A previous framing corrected the twelve-country statement described as ambiguously worded ×1Asserted flat The report states as fact that barring Arab parties is a standing ritual. ×1Asserted flat The report says ethnicity explains the different outcomes, in its own voice. ×1Asserted in the report's own voice Parties are characterised by what they are said to promise, unattributed, and the headline calls the result frightening. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Palestine TV · Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation
Palestine TV · Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation
🇵🇸PS ·
TV/radio · state-controlled
What we have measured
Asserted versus attributed recognition itself stated as fact ×1Attribution 'historic' attributed to the Palestinian ambassador ×1Dead counted, not named two dead are counted as 'citizens' and none are named; the wounded are not counted ×1Dead named Gives the dead man's full name and age. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
North Press Agency
North Press Agency
🇸🇾SY ·
wire · independent
What we have measured
Attribution the damage list is carried in full, attributed to the side claiming it ×1Single official source Uses the Saudi Press Agency's account: 'bilateral relations', with no mention of reconstruction or money. ×1What is at stake presents the stakes as trade and energy security; no ship, crew or price is counted ×1Which line is led with led by the legal instrument, naming the Security Council resolution by number ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Shargh
Shargh
🇮🇷IR ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
A count with its base both days given, and the data called preliminary ×1Actor named as a state the attack is Yemen's, not the Houthis' ×1A different actor does the asking Pakistan's army chief, not Beijing, is the one asking Tehran to use its influence, on the word of unnamed Pakistani government sources. ×1'aggression' in the narration The US campaign is called aggression in the report's own narration, which it credits to Al-Ahram's account of the call. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Tehran Times
Tehran Times
🇮🇷IR ·
newspaper · state-controlled
What we have measured
Asserted vs attributed headline states the seizure flat; the body attributes it to the claimant ×1Attribution the toll is attributed to a body that is described but not named ×1Headline against body headline states the seizure flat; the body attributes it to the IRGC ×1How the objectors are framed opposition is described as protesters speaking for civilians ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Al Jazeera English
Al Jazeera English
🇶🇦QA ·
TV/radio · state-funded international
What we have measured
Accusation attributed Cuba's charge is attributed to its foreign minister, not stated as fact ×1Actor named The headline names Israel as the actor and gives a count of three that includes a child. ×1Agency No actor is named for the detentions. The raids, not the soldiers, 'left' the town in lockdown ×1Agency Names Israel as the actor in the headline, in active voice ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The Times of Israel
The Times of Israel
🇮🇱IL ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Actorless in own voice The killing is passive with no shooter in the se ×1Headline carries the purpose The livestock and the army's reason are in the h ×1Headline frame The headline carries the military's word for the ×1Military words carried whole Both the label for the dead and the phrase for t ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
A
Al-Sabaah
Ma'an News Agency
Ma'an News Agency
🇵🇸PS ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Al-Mada
Al-Mada
🇮🇶IQ ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
WAFA · Palestinian News & Information Agency
WAFA · Palestinian News & Information Agency
🇵🇸PS ·
state agency · state-controlled
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Al-Manar
Al-Manar
🇱🇧LB ·
TV/radio · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Middle East Eye
Middle East Eye
🇬🇧UK ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
How hard the claim is stated Its own body says the investigators did not attribute the network to the Emirati state — the qualification its headline drops. ×1How hard the claim is stated The body withdraws in one line the attribution its own headline makes ×1How deeply it is sourced Cites its own past reporting as the evidence for the claim in its own headline, and calls the evidence widespread in its own voice ×1How deeply it is sourced Offers its own past reporting as the evidence supporting the claim in its headline, inside the same sentence that carries the denial. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Ammon News
Ammon News
🇯🇴JO ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →