The New York Times announced that it had taken disciplinary action against a reporter who leaked data about a WhatsApp group chat belonging to Jewish businessmen and whose members acknowledged that they had been harassed and had their personal information disclosed by activists sympathetic to Palestinians.
Earlier this year, Natasha Frost, a Times reporter based in Melbourne, Australia, downloaded and shared 900 pages of content from a private WhatsApp chat set up by Jewish professionals in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack that left some 1,200 Israelis dead.
Frost acknowledged to The Wall Street Journal that he had shared the information with someone before it ended up in the hands of anti-Zionist activists.
The New York Times said it had taken disciplinary action against a reporter who leaked details of a WhatsApp group chat, thereby revealing the personal information of its members. Reuters Reporter Natasha Frost has apologized for leaking information about a pro-Israel WhatsApp group chat. The New York Times
Hundreds of people in the group chat were shocked to find their personal information was circulating online, and faced escalating online and in-person harassment, with some even being kicked out of their homes.
A Times spokesman told The Wall Street Journal that the paper “reviewed the matter and took appropriate action” upon learning of Frost’s actions.
“We have received reports that a New York Times reporter improperly provided information to help the subject of an article about a personal matter, a clear violation of our company’s ethics,” a spokesman for the paper said.
“This was done without the knowledge or approval of The Times.”
Frost told The Wall Street Journal that she shared the information with someone who then disseminated the details without her permission.
“The subsequent dissemination and misuse occurred without my knowledge or consent,” Frost said. “I am shocked by these events, which have put me and so many others at terrible risk.”
Frost added that he “deeply regrets his decision and will not be commenting further.”
Joshua Moshe, a Jew living in Melbourne, was one of the victims of the personal information leak. Instagram/¿
Frost accessed the WhatsApp group in November, just weeks after the Hamas attacks.
In December, several members of the group began campaigning for action against the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s decision to employ journalist Antoinette Latuff as a part-time radio presenter.
Latuf, a Lebanese-Australian-born man, sparked controversy with social media posts accusing Israel of war crimes.
The ABC fired Ms Latuff five days into her contract, prompting her to file a complaint alleging she was the victim of racial discrimination.
Frost’s co-authored piece appeared in The Times’ story about Latuff’s firing, published Jan. 23.
Pro-Palestinian groups in Australia circulated information about members of a WhatsApp group chat made up of people sympathetic to Israel. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
A few days before the article was published, Frost left the WhatsApp group, and shortly thereafter details of the group chat were posted on various websites and widely shared among pro-Palestinian internet users.
A spreadsheet was created listing the names, photos, job titles and quotes of the WhatsApp groups.
One member of the WhatsApp group, Joshua Moshe, said he and his wife began receiving threatening calls and emails calling them baby killers and genocidal maniacs.
They also received a text message with a photo of their 5-year-old son attached.
Moshe’s gift shop in Melbourne was vandalised with graffiti and stickers with an Israeli flag crossed out, urging would-be visitors to boycott the store.
Moshe eventually closed his shop, took his wife and children and left the neighborhood.
Australian authorities are considering criminalising leaking personal information after several members of the Jewish community were targeted. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
A Jewish high school teacher from Melbourne, who was also on the WhatsApp chat, said her school had received calls and threats from anonymous people accusing them of “participating in genocide”.
Other professionals in the WhatsApp chat reported losing jobs and business opportunities.
In response to this incident, Australian Attorney General Mark Dreyfuss has proposed legislation to make leaking personal information a criminal offence.
Dreyfus said the new law would strengthen Australia’s protections against hate speech, but gave few details about how it would work.
“The increased use of online platforms to harm people through practices such as doxxing, the malicious disclosure of personal information without their permission, is deeply disturbing,” Dreyfus, who is Jewish, told reporters.
“The recent targeting of members of Australia’s Jewish community through actions such as the publication of personal information is shocking, but unfortunately this is by no means an isolated incident,” Dreyfus added.
With post wire