New York, July 11, 2024—More than 70 media and civil society organizations have signed an open letter urging Israel to give journalists independent access to Gaza.
The organizations—which include the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post—point out that no independent media access to Gaza has been permitted since the start of the war, increasing the pressure on domestic journalists, and creating a space for mis- and disinformation to flourish.
“More than 100 journalists have been killed since the start of the war and those who remain are working in conditions of extreme deprivation. The result is that information from Gaza is becoming harder and harder to obtain and that the reporting which does get through is subject to repeated questions over its veracity,” the organizations say in the letter, which was coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The letter comes ahead of a planned visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States, where he is set to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and address the U.S. Congress on July 24.
CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg noted: “President Netanyahu describes Israel as a democracy. His actions with regard to the media tell a different story. International, Israeli, and Palestinian journalists from outside Gaza should be given independent access to Gaza so they can judge for themselves what is happening in this war—rather than being spoon-fed with a handful of organized tours by the Israeli military.”
In addition to news outlets, the signatories—who span more than 27 countries—include professional groups and organizations dedicated to defending press freedom.
About the Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.
Read the full letter below
We, the undersigned, request that Israeli authorities end immediately the restrictions on foreign media entering Gaza and grant independent access to international news organizations seeking to access the territory.
Nine months into the war, international reporters are still being denied access to Gaza except for rare and escorted trips arranged by the Israeli military. This effective ban on foreign reporting has placed an impossible and unreasonable burden on local reporters to document a war through which they are living. More than 100 journalists have been killed since the start of the war and those who remain are working in conditions of extreme deprivation. The result is that information from Gaza is becoming harder and harder to obtain and that the reporting which does get through is subject to repeated questions over its veracity.
We fully understand the inherent risks in reporting from war zones. These are risks that many of our organizations have taken over decades in order to investigate, document developments as they occur, and understand the impacts of wars the world over.
A free and independent press is the cornerstone of democracy. We ask that Israel uphold its commitments to press freedom by providing foreign media with immediate, independent access to Gaza, and that Israel abides by its international obligations to protect journalists as civilians.
Signatories
- ABC News, United States
- Agence France-Presse, France
- Al-Araby Al-Jadeed
- Alternative Press Syndicate, Lebanon
- Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism
- Asian American Journalists Association, United States
- Associated Press, United States
- Association for International Broadcasting, United Kingdom
- Association of Foreign Press Correspondents, United States
- Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media, Bangladesh
- BBC News, United Kingdom
- Bianet, Turkey
- Bloomberg News, United States
- CBS News, United States
- CNN Worldwide, United States
- CONNECTAS
- Community Media Forum Europe, Belgium
- CTV News, Canada
- Daily Maverick, South Africa
- Daraj, Lebanon
- Denik Referendum, Czech Republic
- European Broadcasting Union, Switzerland
- European Federation of Journalists
- Financial Times, United Kingdom
- Forbidden Stories, France
- fotosintesi.info, Italy
- Free Press Unlimited, The Netherlands
- Global Investigative Journalism Network
- Global Reporting Centre, Canada
- International Association of Women in Radio and Television
- International Center for Journalists, United States
- International Fund for Public Interest Media
- International Media Support, Denmark
- International News Safety Institute, United Kingdom
- International Women’s Media Foundation, United States
- ITN, United Kingdom
- Le Mauricien, Mauritius
- McLatchy, United States
- Media Development Center, Tunisia
- Media Diversity Institute, United Kingdom
- Middle East Eye
- National Association of Hispanic Journalists, United States
- National Press Club, United States
- National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, The Philippines
- NBC News, United States
- Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University, United States
- NPR, United States
- Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
- Premium Times, Nigeria
- Prospect Magazine, United Kingdom
- Public Media Alliance
- Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, United States
- Rory Peck Trust, United Kingdom
- RTÉ News & Current Affairs, Ireland
- Rural Media Network, Pakistan
- Sky News, United Kingdom
- SMN24Media, Sri Lanka
- Somali Media Women Association, Somalia
- Sveriges Radio, Sweden
- The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, United Kingdom
- The Foreign Press Association, Israel and the Palestinian Territories
- The Guardian, United Kingdom
- The Irish Times, Ireland
- The New Arab
- The New York Times, United States
- The Washington Post, United States
- Twala, Algeria
- Vocento, Spain
- VRT News, Belgium
- Wattan Media Network, Palestine
- World Association for Christian Communication
- World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), Germany
- Yle News and Current Affairs, Finland