Latest news with #CommitteeToProtectJournalists
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Media groups urge Israel to allow Gaza access for foreign journalists
More than 130 news outlets and press freedom groups called Thursday for Israel to immediately lift a near-total ban on international media entering Gaza, while calling for greater protections for Palestinian journalists in the territory. Israel has blocked most foreign correspondents from independently accessing Gaza since it began its war there following the unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack by militant group Hamas. An open letter shared by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders called the restrictions 'a situation that is without precedent in modern warfare.' Signees included AFP's global news director Phil Chetwynd, The Associated Press executive editor Julie Pace, and the editor of Israeli newspaper Haaretz Aluf Benn. The letter added that many Palestinian journalists — whom news outlets have relied on to report from inside Gaza — face a litany of threats. 'Local journalists, those best positioned to tell the truth, face displacement and starvation,' it said. 'To date, nearly 200 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military. Many more have been injured and face constant threats to their lives for doing their jobs: bearing witness. 'This is a direct attack on press freedom and the right to information.' The letter added that it was a 'pivotal moment' in Israel's war — with renewed military actions and efforts to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza. This, it said, makes it 'vital that Israel open Gaza's borders for international journalists to be able to report freely and that Israel abides by its international obligations to protect journalists as civilians.' Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a separate statement that Israel must grant journalists access and allow them to work in Gaza 'without fear for their lives.' 'When journalists are killed in such unprecedented numbers and independent international media is barred from entering, the world loses its ability to see clearly, to understand fully, and to respond effectively to what is happening,' she said. Reporters Without Borders head Thibaut Bruttin said the media blockade on Gaza 'is enabling the total destruction and erasure of the blockaded territory.' 'This is a methodical attempt to silence the facts, suppress the truth, and isolate the Palestinian press and population,' he said in a statement. Thursday's letter was issued the same day the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said three reporters were killed by a strike close to a hospital in Gaza City. Israel's military said the strike had targeted '...a terrorist who was operating in a command and control center' in the yard of the hospital.
Arab News
2 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Media groups urge Israel to allow Gaza access for foreign journalists
NEW YORK: More than 130 news outlets and press freedom groups called Thursday for Israel to immediately lift a near-total ban on international media entering Gaza, while calling for greater protections for Palestinian journalists in the territory. Israel has blocked most foreign correspondents from independently accessing Gaza since it began its war there following the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack by militant group Hamas. An open letter shared by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders called the restrictions 'a situation that is without precedent in modern warfare.' Signees included AFP's global news director Phil Chetwynd, The Associated Press executive editor Julie Pace, and the editor of Israeli newspaper Haaretz Aluf Benn. The letter added that many Palestinian journalists — whom news outlets have relied on to report from inside Gaza — face a litany of threats. 'Local journalists, those best positioned to tell the truth, face displacement and starvation,' it said. 'To date, nearly 200 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military. Many more have been injured and face constant threats to their lives for doing their jobs: bearing witness. 'This is a direct attack on press freedom and the right to information.' The letter added that it was a 'pivotal moment' in Israel's war — with renewed military actions and efforts to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza. This, it said, makes it 'vital that Israel open Gaza's borders for international journalists to be able to report freely and that Israel abides by its international obligations to protect journalists as civilians.' Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a separate statement that Israel must grant journalists access and allow them to work in Gaza 'without fear for their lives.' 'When journalists are killed in such unprecedented numbers and independent international media is barred from entering, the world loses its ability to see clearly, to understand fully, and to respond effectively to what is happening,' she said. Reporters Without Borders head Thibaut Bruttin said the media blockade on Gaza 'is enabling the total destruction and erasure of the blockaded territory.' 'This is a methodical attempt to silence the facts, suppress the truth, and isolate the Palestinian press and population,' he said in a statement. Thursday's letter was issued the same day the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said three reporters were killed by a strike close to a hospital in Gaza City. Israel's military said the strike had targeted 'an Islamic Jihad terrorist who was operating in a command and control center' in the yard of the hospital.
Zawya
4 days ago
- General
- Zawya
‘They target our reputation': Online attacks force Libyan journalists to self-censor
Journalists in Libya face frequent online harassment, which impedes their ability to fulfil their function as watchdogs against corruption, human rights abuses and other issues, journalists said last week during a round table discussion with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. Thirty-one journalists from Libya's east, west and south joined the online discussion Thursday as part of the Basirah professional development programme, organised in coordination with UNSMIL's Human Rights Section. It will inform an upcoming workshop on 19 June, led by a digital safety expert from the international non-governmental organisation Committee to Protect Journalists, about ways journalists can shield themselves from online harassment. 'Discussing the online harassment of journalists is essential because it threatens the right to expression and leads some to retreat or self-censor,' said Eman Ben Amer, a journalist who attended the event. 'Ignoring it means silencing free voices.' The journalists, during the meeting, shared their personal experiences with harassment, shedding light on the form, frequency, and causes. Ninety-two per cent of participants, in a post-workshop survey, said they had personally experienced online harassment. The most reported form of harassment was abusive comments or messages on social media, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Journalists also described how harassers had taken photos or videos of them, manipulated them using deceitful editing or artificial intelligence, and then shared them widely. The harassment often escalated to death threats and, sometimes, actual physical attacks, they said. In some cases, mobilisation appeared to be coordinated, with some journalists noting that they 'trended' on social media because of harassment. 'They distorted my reputation to the point I found myself under investigation by state intelligence,' said one journalist, who was dismissed from their job after such an online attack. 'The recording is still on YouTube and now, even years later, people will post it in the comments when I publish anything.' The attacks were provoked by everything from the topic of a story to the sex, age or cultural background of the reporter. Sometimes the stories that sparked abuse were sensitive from a political or human rights perspective. One journalist related how they were attacked for promoting 'foreign agendas' when they covered a story about violence against women. But at other times, the stories were seemingly non-controversial. For example, one journalist recounted how they were attacked for broadcasting a sports match on accusations of 'supporting the opposing team.' Another was harassed for reporting on flood victims in Derna. Female journalists reported particular trouble, saying they were harassed for nearly everything they published—regardless of topic. "Being a female journalist in Libyan society is very difficult,' one journalist said. 'They target a woman's reputation and honour – make things personal.' Eighty-six per cent of journalists, in the post-workshop survey, said harassment had impacted their work in some way. Thirty per cent reported reducing their social media presence to avoid backlash – a major handicap in the media sector. Thirty per cent said they 'censored or softened' their language to avoid offending certain parties. Others said they avoided writing about controversial topics altogether. 'Journalists need a safe space to work freely and honestly,' said journalist Mohammed Fozy. 'Without that, free media can't exist.' Journalists and other media professionals are invited to register for the Basirah programme, including the upcoming Basirah workshop on how journalists can protect themselves from online harassment, here: (link) Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
Khaleej Times
28-05-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
'Let journalists in': TV host Piers Morgan slams Israel's Gaza media restrictions
British media personality Piers Morgan called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to let in more international journalists and said that the recent aid blockade and bombardment was "ferocious" and "crossed a line." Morgan is a well-known TV presenter, journalist and host of the show 'Piers Morgan Uncensored'. "What has been happening in recent weeks and months, especially since this blockade, but also the ferocious bombardments in the last few weeks in particular, to me has crossed a line," Morgan said in a session on the third day of the Arab Media Summit. Morgan called Israel's prohibition on international reporters entering the Gaza strip "a complete disgrace". "It is ridiculous that Israel has the ability to prevent the world's journalists getting in there to establish whether what Israel is saying it's doing is actually what it's doing," he added. Morgan's 'firm' message to PM Netanyahu "My firm message to Prime Minister Netanyahu, let the journalists in. You know, they keep pretending it's because of our safety," he said. Since the beginning of the war, Israel has not allowed foreign journalists to operate independently inside of the strip, with coverage relying solely on Palestinian journalists. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 181 media personnel have died since October 7, 2023. "Please, we're not stupid. Let the international journalists in. And then we can work out whether what Israel is saying, the government is saying, is correct," he empasized. He said that although his views on the Gaza genocide have changed with time, the views he held from the beginning of Israel's onslaught remain the same. "Israel had to defend itself after that horrific attack on October 7th, my question from the start was always, what is the proportionate response?" EU chief denounces strikes on civilian facilities Meanwhile, European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen denounced on Tuesday Israel's "abhorrent" deadly wave of strikes on civilian facilities in Gaza including a school. Rescuers said Israeli strikes killed at least 52 people in the Gaza Strip Monday, 33 in a school-turned-shelter, in a renewed offensive to destroy Hamas that has drawn international condemnation. The World Health Organization said on Monday majority of supplies of medical equipment have run out in Gaza, while 42% of basic medicines including pain killers are out of stock. The Israeli blockade began on March 2, 2025, with no supplies like food and medicine entering Gaza for 11 consecutive weeks. Fifty-seven children have reportedly died from the effects of malnutrition, according to the Ministry of Health, with thousands more at risk of famine, starvation, and death, according to the WHO.
LBCI
12-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Pope Leo tells media to shun divisions, urges release of jailed reporters
Pope Leo XIV, in his first address to the media, urged journalists on Monday to focus on reporting the truth instead of engaging in partisan debates and called for the release of reporters jailed for doing their jobs. "The way we communicate is of fundamental importance: we must say 'no' to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war," Leo told thousands of journalists who covered his election and the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis. He also spoke up for jailed journalists who, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, numbered 361 at the end of last year. "The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press," said the pope.
