This is what it’s like for women journalists to work inside
#Gaza
.
"We die a million times because we see and live the pain of all the people, and we have seen things that might take years to forget,” says Mona Okal, journalist at Palestine TV.
Support the journalists in Gaza.
What we have feared is beginning to happen: over the weekend, prominent
#Gaza
journalists shared their desperation.
They're exhausted and distressed. After 2 months of covering death and destruction, the risk that burnout will force them to give up their work is very real.
1/7
International journalists must be allowed to enter Gaza immediately.
For more than 120 days,
#Gaza
’s journalists have been alone on the job. They have single-handedly taken on the responsibility of providing the world with trustworthy reporting from within Gaza.
"I chose to tell the truth without sugar-coating it. Unlike what you see from well-meaning people who refuse to call fascists by their name. Who refuse to call dictators by their name. Who refuse to call demagogues by their name."
@RanaAyyub
in her keynote speech at
#IFJ22
We're now seeing several of Gaza’s journalists evacuate, some in need of medical treatment, some too traumatised to continue their work.
A thread about the impossible dilemmas that journalists are facing after more than 100 days of covering
#Israel
’s war on
#Gaza
.
🧵👇
1/13
On this
#WorldPressFreedomDay
, we ask you to stand in solidarity with Gaza’s journalists. They are our eyes and ears in Israel’s war.
Journalists and editors from around the world speak up against the killings and share messages of solidarity with their colleagues in
#Gaza
.
🧵
Thanks to the journalists in
#Gaza
, there is no lack of images, footage and texts showing the atrocities of the ongoing war.
For + 2 months, they've documented attacks, showed us the suffering and gathered evidence for war crimes.
In short: They did their job.
1/5
Hundreds of Afghan media workers are under threat right now‼️ IMS’ close partner
@ajsc_afg
need funds to bring journalists to safety and keep independent media outlets operational.
Support Afghanistan’s journalists 👇
All funds go directly to AJSC
.
@olgarodriguezfr
is a Spanish journalist and author specialised in the Middle East.
"You are defending our right to information, our right to the truth. With so many obstacles, with so much
#impunity
.”
According to The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (
@InfoPJS
), 9 percent of Gaza’s registered journalists have been killed since 7 October.
This tells us that journalists in Gaza are 5-10 times more likely to get killed than the average citizen in Gaza.
🧵
1/5
We do not believe it is right or fair that Gaza's journalists should perform such an important and dangerous job without any assistance, without being able to rest, to reach safety, to grieve or to heal.
Demand access to
#Gaza
for all journalists.
Al-Jazeera correspondent Ismael al-Ghoul
@ismail_gh2
was detained by Israeli forces this morning following a raid of the al-Shifa hospital in northern
#Gaza
. The hospital shelters around 30,000 Palestinians.
Eyewitnesses say that al-Ghoul was beaten before he was detained.
1/5
The verdict against
@MariaRessa
, CEO of
@Rappler
, is an affront to
#pressfreedom
and a dark moment for independent media in the Philippines. Rappler’s work to uncover corruption is an inspiration to other media. IMS hope the appeals court will right the wrongs in this case.
We know that many foreign journalists are prepared to enter Gaza. We know that they are willing to take on the enormous risk of working alongside their Palestinian colleagues and reporting from the ground.
When a Gazan journalist dies, there is no one to replace them.
In addition to the loss of human life, Israel is de facto robbing the world of trustworthy, professional journalism from inside Gaza during one of the deadliest wars in recent history.
"The phase of risking your life to show what’s happening is now over and the phase of trying to survive has started" photo journalist
@azaizamotaz9
.
2/7
Speak up about threats against
#journalists
📣
Azerbaijani journalist
@arzugeybulla
received her first death threat in 2014. To stop threats from becoming part of the job, she is encouraging everyone to talk about it.
“Don’t take it as a given. Speak up”
#EndImpunity
Introducing Zaki Daryabi as speaker at our
#WorldPressFreedomDay
webinar.
At tomorrow's webinar,
@ZDaryabi
, Publisher of Afghan newspaper
@Etilaatroz
, will take us back to the days when Kabul fell and will discuss the new role of Afghan media.
Register:
Protect journalists in Ukraine ❗️
Independent journalists are playing a crucial role documenting war crimes and keeping citizens informed. Right now, journalists in Ukraine are in dire need of protective equipment.
Support Ukraine’s journalists 👇
From Palestinian filmmaker-turned-journalist
@wizardbisan
: "I no longer have any hope of survival like I had at the beginning of this genocide, and I am certain that I will die in the next few weeks or maybe days."
3/7
I no longer have any hope of survival like I had at the beginning of this genocide, and I am certain that I will die in the next few weeks or maybe days. I have been sick with severe viral infection for days and cannot move from the mattress!
#Gaza
Maria Ressa began her
#NobelPeacePrize
Lecture:
“I stand before you a representative of every journalist around the world who is forced to sacrifice so much to hold the line; to stay true to our values and mission; to bring you the truth and hold power to account”
#PressFreedom
It is unacceptable that the starved, deprived, traumatised journalists of Gaza are still bearing this burden alone.
The journalists did their job.
13/13
SUPPORT Gaza's journalists.
Journalists in Gaza are working non-stop in extreme conditions to keep the world informed about the war’s brutal realities.
They need food, clothes, cameras and cell phones.
You can help.
Donate:
#Gaza
#PressFreedom
The images and testimonies they have shared were meant to move the leaders of this world to do their job: To protect civilians and uphold international law.
7/7
Journalists in
#Gaza
are risking their lives to keep the world informed of the suffering of civilians. It is a disaster within a disaster that they are increasingly forced to give up reporting.
5/7
Even if independent media coverage should come to a stop, Gaza’s journalists have done their job: They have documented the war’s realities and exposed them to the outside world time and again.
6/7
Gaza’s journalists should not have to make the decision that journalist
@Noor_Harazeenn
has recently made: to evacuate her children, while she herself is staying in Gaza to continue her coverage.
Video from
@Noor_Harazeenn
's Instagram profile.
9/13
It's a deeply unfair decision to force onto Gaza’s journalists. This is why IMS is advocating for governments, world leaders and global media organisations to do everything in their power to pressure Israel and Egypt to allow the press to enter and report freely from Gaza.
12/13
In recent weeks, two of the most prominent, influential Gazan journalists, Al-Jazeera bureau chief
@WaelDahdouh
and photographer
@azaizamotaz9
, have had to evacuate. This week, they met in Qatar.
2/13
Our beloved journalists, Wael and Motaz, are together ♥️ Our eyes and ears in Gaza. The ones who finally awakened the world to the occupation. Motaz quotes “Our smile is a kind of resilience” on his Instagram story.
Inventing laws to target specific media outlets, vilifying and accusing journalists of being terrorists and other undocumented claims is hurting press freedom and the right to information everywhere.
🧵
1/8
.
@LNajafizada
is a journalist and the CEO of Afghan media outlet
@AmuTelevision
.
"Journalists in
#Gaza
have challenged a core safety principle: That the story is worth their lives."
For months, IMS has been calling for access to Gaza for foreign journalists arguing that it is unacceptable that the burden of keeping the world informed about Israel's war lies solely on the shoulders of Gaza's local journalists who are displaced, deprived and traumatised.
5/6
Brent Renaud, an American freelance journalist and filmmaker, was killed in Irpin,
#Ukraine
, on Sunday.
Earlier in the war, a Ukrainian camera operator lost his life, and several media workers have been attacked.
Journalists covering war should never become a target.
"You are not alone. Your work is essential."
Leading journalists, media founders and publishers from around the globe are raising their voices to send a message to the journalists in
#Gaza
.
On this
#WorldPressFreedomDay
, help us share their statements of solidarity.
Other Gazan journalists, like Anas El-Najar and Ismail Jood, recently announced that they are ending their coverage to instead focus on trying to survive with their families.
10/13
Journalist Anas El-Najar announces ending his press coverage. He says that seeking safety with his family is a thousand times better than seeking news to convey to a world that knows neither empathy nor humanity.
Right now, being a journalist in
#Gaza
is one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. But in spite of the dangers, Gaza’s journalists will likely keep going for as long as they are physically and mentally able to continue.
2/5
If everything is all right in the news, something is wrong in journalism. And when something is wrong with journalism, we cannot protect human rights.
On
#WorldPressFreedomDay
, we celebrate the journalists who are shining a light on
#humanrights
violations.
#PressFreedom
However, with Israel blocking access to Gaza for foreign journalists, we are acutely aware that every time a journalist leaves, there is one less person to cover the war.
7/13
“I like to quote one of my colleagues when being asked why we keep doing what we’re doing: to make life just a little bit harder for these bastards”
@CarlosDada
on doing investigative journalism in El Salvador under the populist and autocratic government of Nayib Bukele
Our solidarity can defeat these legal attacks❗️
@acaruanagalizia
IMS and other NGOs are joining forces to advocate for legal reform and expose how SLAPP lawsuits are used to silence critics.
Register for the launch of CASE tomorrow at 11:30 CET:
Only days ago in an emotional statement,
@azaizamotaz9
took off his press vest and announced that he is evacuating, having covered Israel's war on Gaza for 107 days.
3/13
.
@dianamoukalled
is a Lebanese journalist and the co-founder of the pan-Arab news site
@Daraj_media
.
“They are showing us what commitment is. Not only commitment to journalism, but commitment to the human rights and to the human values that the world has given up on.”
From Ismail Jood's statement: "Dear friends, I am announcing the end of my coverage of this ongoing aggression. We documented more than enough of crimes, massacres, and the
#genocide
that we were facing for the last 96 days."
11/13
We are in awe of the commitment and bravery they have shown during the more than 100 days of brutal war and they deserve to rest – though we are certain they will continue their work even though they have now left Gaza.
6/13
Israel’s ban on
#AlJazeera
comes right after
#WorldPressFreedomDay
. It is a dire attack on press freedom from a government that presents itself as a beacon of democracy. Closing outlets that expose inconvenient truths and raiding their offices is ABC in The Autocrat's Playbook.
This morning, we received the tragic news that Gaza-based podcast presenter Ms Ayat Khaddura was killed yesterday in an Israeli air strike.
Ms Khaddura had recently participated in a year-long journalist training course provided jointly by IMS and
@AUB_Lebanon
.
.
@CarlosDada
is the co-founder and director of the Central American news site
@_elfaro_
.
“You may not know it, but you are not alone. There are thousands of your colleagues around the world trying to do everything in our power to support you and let your stories be known.”
THE CRISIS of Afghan media💔
Despite the desperate situation and the increasing risks for Afghan journalists, a number of media houses continue to operate, fighting to keep people informed.
Support Afghanistan's journalists:
👉 👈
Photo:
@stephglinski
Nour Arafa, a woman journalist reporting from Gaza, put it this way:
“We have been filming the events so that you can see what has been happening and help to stop this war. Our houses are gone. Our loved ones are gone. What are you waiting for"
4/5
Meet Al Jazeera journalist Youmna El Sayed who spent 71 days inside
#Gaza
covering the war.
For those of you in Copenhagen, join us for an exclusive Q&A with journalist Youmna El Sayed on 24 April.
Sign up for the free event:
At the same time, their desperation and frustration is growing. Gaza’s journalists are asking themselves: What more does the world need to see? Are the reports, images and footage we have transmitted to the world not enough to compel world leaders to act?
3/5
Media rights protect human rights.
On
#WorldPressFreedomDay
, we celebrate the journalists who are shining a light on
#humanrights
violations.
A free press enables an informed public to shape opinions and demand their rights.
#PressFreedom
We are extremely relieved to see these journalists reach safety and to know that they can finally receive proper medical care and psychosocial support.
5/13
These are the terrible conditions that Gaza's journalists are working in.
As
#Israel
has expanded its ground offensive to almost all areas of
#Gaza
, journalists are taking extreme risks to report from the war. No place in Gaza is safe, for civilians or
#journalists
.
🧵
1/9
.
@svaradarajan
is the founding editor of the Indian digital news platform
@thewire_in
.
“We demand that Israeli authorities stop this inhuman war, stop targeting civilians, stop targeting journalists and allow journalists to enter and work without being targeted.”
Tomorrow 2 Nov is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists📣
We can't say it any clearer than
@AgnesCallamard
did at the launch of IMS report Defending Journalism: A shared responsibility
This puts journalists in a horrible dilemma when considering attempting evacuation: Should they try to safe the lives of themselves and their families. Or should they stay to report on the war.
8/13
🧵1/ Afghan media struggles to survive one year after the Taliban’s takeback of power. An otherwise vibrant media sector has faced a year of censorship, arrests, restrictions on women journalists, and also seen many experienced reporters leave. Many of those live in uncertainty.
Ten days ago, Al-Jazeera bureau chief
@WaelDahdouh
was evacuated from Gaza to receive treatment for the injuries he suffered in a recent Israeli attack. Al Jazeera journalist and cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa was killed in the same attack.
4/13
Journalist Wael al-Dahdouh left Gaza via the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday morning and headed to Qatar for medical treatment.
Dahdouh, now a household name owing to his uninterrupted reporting despite Israel killing many of his family members and colleagues in the ongoing
Congratulations to Somalia’s first group of working journalist graduates👏
When
@SNU_University
reopened its faculty of journalism in 2017, Somali journalists were ready to go back to school. IMS and
@fojo_int
support the university in producing qualified journalists.
IMS is pleased that Danish journalist
@matildekimer
's media accreditation has been reinstated, allowing her to work in Ukraine again. This is not only good news for Kimer & Danish Broadcasting
@DRNyheder
, but also for independent journalism.
For 10 years, we’ve worked with the framework of the UN Plan of Action. At
#SoJ2022
, we must talk about how to improve and scale our efforts to improve the safety of journalists and
#EndImpunity
.
"Being a journalist doesn't mean you're immune"
Sumaya Abu Attia, journalist at TRT, on the trauma of working as a journalist in Gaza these days.
Journalists like Sumaya are the world’s eyes and ears in Israel's war on Gaza. They need our support.
"As a journalist and a human being from Gaza, I persevered and insisted on conveying my message, that Gaza is suffering".
Journalist Yafa Abu Akar shares her account from documenting the brutalities of war, ensuring that the stories of Palestinians are shared with the world.
”If journalists can stand up to violence, threats, bullying and imprisonment for the purpose of informing us, the least we can do is stand up for them!”
- UN Special Rapporteur
@AgnesCallamard
in the foreword of our recent publication.
👉
Online gendered disinformation and sexist hate speech are growing at an alarming rate.
A new learning brief focuses on online hate speech against women, girls and non-binary people in media and what media development organisations can do to address it:
We do not believe it is right or fair that Gaza's journalists should perform such an important and dangerous job without any assistance, without being able to rest, to reach safety, to grieve or to heal.
Demand access to
#Gaza
for all journalists.
Journalist Wadea abu Alsoud was trapped inside the medical complex and has posted an account on his Instagram, describing heavy shooting, saying “this might be my last video”.
2/5
"This may be my last video"
Journalist Wadeaa Abu al-Saoud reports from al-Shifa hospital in Gaza when Israel launched a sudden attack in the early hours of Monday.
In solidarity with media colleagues inside Gaza, +50 journalist urge Israel and Egypt to lift news blockade.
With 90 journalists killed, it is vital that local media workers are relieved - the letter states.
IMS could not agree more.
This is yet another example of Israel’s blatant disregard of their obligation to protect journalists, and its killing of 10 some percent of Gaza’s journalists has put the flow of credible information within Gaza and to the rest of the world under immense pressure.
3/5
We must never forget the
#AmpatuanMassacre
💔
On this day in 2009, 5️⃣8️⃣ people including 3️⃣2️⃣ journalists were killed in the town of Ampatuan in
#Maguindanao
province in what is considered the single deadliest attack against journalists and
#PressFreedom
.
The documentary film “The Etilaat Roz” has won Best First Feature award at the renowned
@idfa
.
From inside the offices of
@Etilaatroz
, the documentary follows the journalists and editors of the newspaper during the fall of Kabul.
.
@ronhaviv
is an American award-winning photojournalist who has covered numerous wars. He is co-founder of
@VIIPhoto
.
“I have so much admiration for what you're doing, for your courage, for your desire to tell the story. Your work will not be forgotten."
.
@AlexCrawfordSky
is special correspondent for the British news channel
@SkyNews
.
“They need the support of people all around the world, not just fellow journalists, but everybody, because without them, we would be utterly blindfolded as to what is happening on the ground.”
.
@Linaattalah
is the co-founder and chief editor of the independent online Egyptian newspaper
@MadaMasr
.
“The whole world is being reshaped through their accounts, their testimonials and their tireless labour”.
Happy
#WorldRadioDay
Radio has the power to go into detail on news stories, give time and space to nuance and knowledge, and lay the foundation for understanding and dialogue.
Let’s make radio the sound of peace📻✌🏾
#WorldRadioDay2023
#Radio
#PressFreedom
🧵1/3 Governments around the world have engaged in increasingly brazen attempts to stifle dissent by attacking critics who live abroad. The recent assassination attempt on blogger
@Mirzali_FR
living in political exile is yet another example of this.
Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was wearing a helmet and body armour clearly marked as “press”, when she was shot and killed.
IMS strongly condemns what looks like a extrajudicial execution.
#JournalismIsNotACrime
#PressFreedom
Women journalists in the 🌍continue to face inequality & harassment in the workplace with little or no consequence for the perpetrators. New
@forfreemedia
study out 👉 w/ best practices to improve safety & working conditions of women journalists.
#MediaDev
.
@AidaAlami
is a Moroccan freelance reporter.
“I want our colleagues in
#Gaza
to know that all over the world other journalists are standing with them and wishing them safety and asking the international community to do something about the murders of these journalists.”
“Press freedom means being able to ask questions without fear.”
On
#WPFD2021
we asked journalists from across the world to tell us what
#PressFreedom
means to them.
Faced with threats and restrictions, courageous journalists keep people informed and hold power to account👏
“The institution of journalism, especially public interest journalism, is increasingly under pressure when we need it the most. (…) By ensuring the safety over journalists we can ensure that truth will win over lies”
@MelissaFleming
at
#soj2022
Justice for Palestinian journalists.
Since the murder of Abu Akleh 2 years ago,
#Israel
has killed more than 92 Palestinian journalists in its current war on
#Gaza
with full impunity and without any justice for the journalists and their families.
This has to stop.
#EndImpunity
Radio to the rescue 📻🏃🏻♀️
Tomorrow is
#worldradioday
🎉 Radio has the power to give voice to vulnerable groups and reach even the most remote places with life-saving information.
#WorldRadioDay2021