The Wall Street Journal Fixes Biblical Copy Mistake

The Wall Street Journal may need their reporters to brush up on their Bible literacy.

On Wednesday the paper was forced to issue an embarrassing correction, over a story that misquoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in the process flubbed an iconic Old Testament moment.

“An earlier version of his article incorrectly started that Benjamin Netanyahu said Moses brought water from Iraq. He said the water was brought from a rock,” the paper noted in their “Corrections & Applications.”

Also Read: NY Times Issues Correction for Trump-Slamming Climate Change Report

Important correction from @WSJ "An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Benjamin Netanyahu said Moses brought water from Iraq. He said the water was brought from a rock." (via @WritesRights) https://t.co/LP4zqDw45n pic.twitter.com/InwjcvHHo7

— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) March 28, 2018

The actual WSJ piece, “Sheldon Adelson Facilitated EPA Connection for Israeli Firm,” was a pretty dry affair, which focused on how the casino magnate arranged meetings between Israeli companies and the U.S. government.

The actual moment quoting Netanyahi reads as follows:

Professor Dershowitz reportedly demonstrated Water-Gen’s technology on stage at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington last year. And the company’s website touts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bragging about the technology at the same event this year. It “improves on Moses,” Mr. Netanyahu said in video posted by the company. “He brought water from a rock. They bring water from thin air.”

The famous story of Moses striking the rock precipitating a flow of water can be found in the book of Numbers in the Jewish Old Testament. There was no Iraq to speak of during the time of Moses.

The article, bylined by Timothy Puko, also took contributions from WSJ writers Julie Bykowicz and Louise Radnofsky and must also have passed some unnamed editor suggesting that at least four people looked at the piece without noticing the mistake.

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Most of the recent fire and fury comes from the paper’s editorial pages

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