Monday: Unprecedented newsroom protest as 250 media outlets move against the killing of journalists in Gaza.

Arab Sea Newspaper - News Updates

Arab Sea - Follow-ups: In an unprecedented global move, more than 250 media outlets from 50 countries will simultaneously disrupt their front pages, homepages, and newsletters to demand an end to the killing of journalists in Gaza and to call for international press to be granted access to the sector. For the first time in modern history, newsrooms across all continents will coordinate a large-scale editorial protest. The move – coordinated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the global movement Avaaz, and the International Federation of Journalists – will take place on Monday, September 1st. Print newspapers will publish black front pages with a stark message, while channels and radio stations will suspend their programs to broadcast a joint statement, and online news sites will black out their homepages or place solidarity logos. Editors, journalists, and other media workers will also participate in the move. This move comes at a time when the number of journalists killed in Gaza has risen to more than 210 since October 7, 2023 – making it the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern times. At the same time, Israel has continued to prevent foreign press from entering Gaza for nearly two years, leaving Palestinian journalists to cover events under fire. Tibo Brotan, Director-General of Reporters Without Borders, said: "At the rate at which journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli occupation army, there will soon come a time when there will be no one left to keep the world informed. This is not just a war on Gaza, but a war on journalism itself. Journalists are being killed, targeted, and vilified. Without them, who will talk about the famine? Who will expose war crimes? Who will expose the genocide? Ten years after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2222, we are witnessing before the eyes of the world an erosion of the guarantees of international law for the protection of journalists. The solidarity of the media and journalists in the world is essential. They must be thanked: it is the brotherhood of journalists that will save freedom of the press, it is the brotherhood that will protect freedom." Andrew Legon, Campaign Director at Avaaz, said: "It is very clear that Gaza is being turned into a graveyard for journalists for a specific reason. The far-right Israeli government is trying to complete its work in the dark, away from press scrutiny. If the last witnesses are silenced, the killing will not stop – it will continue in secret. That is why we are united today with newsrooms around the world to say: We will never allow that to happen!" Anthony Bellanger, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), added: "Every journalist killed in Gaza was someone's colleague, friend, or family member. They risked everything to tell the world the truth, and paid for it with their lives. The public's right to know has been severely damaged as a result of this war. We demand justice and an international agreement through the United Nations on the safety and independence of journalists." The latest attacks on journalists in Gaza occurred on August 25, when Israeli forces bombed the Nasser Medical Complex – a site known to be a gathering place for journalists – killing five journalists, including employees of Reuters and Associated Press. Two weeks earlier, six other journalists were killed in a single strike, including Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif.