The United States government has strongly criticised The New York Times for its reporting on the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India, where 26 people were killed.
The US House Foreign Affairs Committee accused the media outlet of downplaying the severity of the attack by using words like “militants” and “gunmen” instead of calling the attackers “terrorists”.
In a post on social media platform X, the Committee shared an image of the original New York Times headline – “At Least 24 Tourists Gunned Down by Militants in Kashmir” – with the word “militants” crossed out and replaced with “terrorists” in bold red.
The post read, “Hey, @nytimes we fixed it for you. This was a TERRORIST ATTACK plain and simple. Whether it’s India or Israel, when it comes to TERRORISM the NYT is removed from reality.”
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The attack, which took place in Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, targeted a group of tourists, mainly Hindus, and was later claimed by The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the banned Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The attackers opened fire on the tourists, killing 26 and injuring several others, including a Nepali national. Videos from the site showed chaos and people running for safety as the gunmen fired indiscriminately.
The New York Times report described the incident as a “shooting” and referred to the attackers as “militants”, quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi who called it a “terror attack” and promised justice. NYT’s language drew criticism from the US government and other groups who felt it downplayed the true nature of the violence.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump called PM Modi to offer his condolences and support. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said Trump condemned the attack and assured full cooperation to bring the attackers to justice. US Vice President JD Vance also spoke to PM Modi, expressing solidarity with India in the fight against terrorism.
