New Delhi, Sep 1: In an unprecedented global action, almost 200 media outlets from
50 countries decided simultaneously to disrupt their front pages, homepages, and broadcasts today
to demand an end to the killing of journalists in Gaza and to call for international press access to
the enclave.
For the first time in modern history, newsrooms across every continent decided to coordinate a
large-scale editorial protest, following a call by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the global
campaigning movement Avaaz and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Print newspapers
ran blacked-out front pages carrying a stark message. Broadcasters and radio stations paused
programming with a joint statement. Online outlets blacked out their homepages or banners in
solidarity. Editors, reporters and other journalists too took part.
The action comes as the death toll of journalists in Gaza climbs to over 210 since October 7, 2023
– the deadliest conflict for reporters in modern times. Israel has simultaneously barred foreign
media from entering Gaza for nearly two years, leaving Palestinian journalists to report under fire.
Thibaut Bruttin, RSF Director General said: “At the rate at which journalists are being killed in
Gaza by the IDF, soon there will be no one left to keep the world informed. This is not only a war
on Gaza, it is a war on journalism itself. Journalists are being killed, they are being targeted, they
are being defamed. Without them, who will speak of famine, who will expose war crimes, who
will denounce genocides? Ten years after the unanimous adoption of United Nations Security
Council Resolution 2222, we are witnessing, before the eyes of the entire world, the erosion of
international law guarantees for the protection of journalists. The solidarity of news media and
journalists around the world is essential. They must be thanked: it is the fraternity of reporters that
will save press freedom, fraternity that will save freedom.”
Andrew Legon, Campaign Director at Avaaz, said: “It is very clear that Gaza is being turned into
a graveyard for journalists for a reason. Israel’s far-right government is trying to finish the job in
the dark, without the scrutiny of the press. If the last witnesses are silenced, the killing won’t stop
– it will simply go unseen. That’s why we´re united with newsrooms around the world today to
say: “We cannot, we will not, let that happen!”
Anthony Bellanger, IFJ General Secretary said: ” Every journalist killed in Gaza was someone’s
colleague, friend, or family. They risked everything to tell the world the truth, and they paid with
their lives. The public’s right to know has been deeply damaged as a result of this war. We demand
justice and a UN International Convention on the safety and independence of journalists.”
