Crikey/Peter Greste/1.5.2024

This is awful and reflects the political intent to control the media narrative if it doesn’t fit the ‘right wing’ agenda – freedom of journalists to report should be a fundamental part of a democracy – Mark

If we criminalise, dismiss or sideline journalism that tells inconvenient truths, we will destroy our capacity for sensible public debate.
As I write, the grim count of journalists killed in Gaza since last October has reached 97. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) puts the number slightly higher at 108.
In the first 50 days of the conflict, journalists were being killed at a rate of roughly one per day, making Gaza indisputably the most dangerous conflict for journalists since the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) began keeping records in 1992. By the time you read this, the toll is likely to have climbed even higher.
The dead include two Israeli journalists killed in Hamas’ initial attack on October 7 last year, and three Lebanese killed by an Israeli artillery strike in south Lebanon. But the vast majority — more than 90 — were Palestinians killed in Gaza itself.
Some of those were the inevitable “collateral damage” of a conflict that the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry says has already claimed more than 34,000 lives, caught in the crossfire because they were working close to active fighting.
Journalists need to keep talking about genocide

But the CPJ, RSF and a host of other news organisations have accused Israeli troops of targeting many of the journalists because of their work.
According to RSF, “many of them were reporting in the field and were clearly identifiable as journalists. Others were killed by strikes that specifically targeted their homes.”
The news organisations have demanded an investigation into the allegations and, if confirmed, it would constitute a war crime. It also undermines Israel’s claim to be the only democracy in the Middle East that respects freedom of the press.

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