By Committee To Protect Journalists
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Leaders of more than 100 news organizations around the world, including the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters, have joined an open letter affirming that they “stand united with Palestinian journalists in their call for safety, protection, and the freedom to report.”
The letter, coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) with the support of the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), emphasizes the perilous environment for members of the press covering the Israel-Gaza war, the deadliest conflict for journalists ever documented by CPJ.
“For nearly five months, journalists and media workers in Gaza – overwhelmingly, the sole source of on-the-ground reporting from within the Palestinian territory – have been working in unprecedented conditions,” the letter reads. “These journalists – on whom the international news media and the international community rely for information about the situation inside Gaza – continue to report despite grave personal risk.”
“Attacks on journalists are also attacks on the truth,” the letter states, reminding the international community that journalists are civilians and authorities must protect journalists as noncombatants according to international law.
