Gaza journalists mourn dead comrades in the profession.
The Torch is a weekly newsletter from the Committee to Protect Journalists that brings you the latest press freedom and journalist safety news from around the world. Get this newsletter sent directly to your email by subscribing here.
Today, the leaders of more than 30 news organizations worldwide signed an open letter—coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) with the support of the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)—affirming their solidarity with journalists reporting in Gaza.
“For nearly five months, journalists and media workers in Gaza—overwhelmingly, the sole source of on-the-ground reporting from within the Palestinian territory—have been working in unprecedented conditions,” the letter reads.
The signatories include outlets from Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, India, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
CPJ also joined two letters calling on the United Nations to help provide accountability in the murder of Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed by Israeli forces in south Lebanon on October 13, 2023. In the United States, more than two dozen House Democrats signed a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to protect press freedom in Gaza.
Global press freedom updates
• Iraqi publisher survives assassination attempt in Baghdad
• Iraqi Kurdish journalist Omed Baroshky charged with defamation over Facebook post
• DRC journalist Lucien Lyenda attacked by armed forces while covering protest
• DRC police detain journalist Masand Mafuta, slap him, seize equipment and money
• Zimbabwe’s The NewsHawks freezes military story over fears for journalists’ safety
• Indian journalist Jyotiranjan Mohapatra attacked with sword in Bhubaneswar
• Pakistani journalist Asad Ali Toor arrested after responding to summons for questioning
• Canadian journalist arrested, charged with obstruction while reporting
• CPJ, others renew support for journalists in UK surveillance investigation