It's time to stand together. Israeli media outlets, which are routinely in competition, are now collaborating on an important call to their colleagues around the world.
Israeli press, television, radio and internet outlets called on the AP, Reuters and other international bodies not to continue employing Gazan journalists and photographers whose involvement in documenting the massacre during the sudden attack on Israel raises grave suspicions.
In the joint appeal, the Israeli media outlets write as follows:
"An investigation by the HonestReporting website dated November 8, 11, shows that freelance journalists and photojournalists from the international photography agencies AP and Reuters, who also provide press coverage for CNN and The New York Times, documented in real time the October 2023 massacre carried out by the Hamas terrorist organization in the western Negev.
"According to the investigation, these journalists documented, among other things, the abduction of Israeli civilians and soldiers, the abduction of bodies, the lynching of the body of an IDF soldier (a photograph dubbed "picture of the day" by Reuters) and the takeover of a tank by Hamas terrorists. Visual footage from the scene shows the photographers at the scene of these atrocities allegedly carrying out their 'journalistic work'.
Photographer Hassan Asaya, who works with media outlets around the world as a freelancer, along with Hamas leader Sinwar, Photo: None
"The presence of these journalists in the first hours of the attack on Israel, an event that erupted with surprise and high compartmentalization, raises serious questions about whether these elements coordinated in advance with the Hamas terrorist organization.
"This is not journalism. It is collaboration with crimes against humanity, which is contrary to all professional ethics. We strongly condemn the actions of these photographers and journalists, and call on the international photo agencies AP and Reuters, as well as the media outlets that have a working relationship with these journalists, to immediately cease all professional contact with them, to condemn and repudiate their actions, and to vomit out this 'bloody press.'"
Signed: Israeli Media Outlets
Golan Yochafez, CEO of the Israel Broadcasting Corporation; Baruch Shai, Director of the News Division, Israel Broadcasting Corporation; Hilik Sharir, CEO of Channel 12; Avi Weiss, CEO of News 12; Yoram Altman, CEO of Reshet; Or Tzelkovnik, CEO of News 13; Yoram Cohen, editor-in-chief of Channel 14; Omer Lachmanovitch, editor-in-chief of Israel Hayom; Elad Tene, editor-in-chief of Makor Rishon; Golan Bar Yosef, editor-in-chief of Maariv; Naama Sikuler, editor-in-chief of "Globes"; Danny Zaken, Acting Commander of Army Radio; Avi Meir, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post and Dudu Saada, Chairman of the Besheva Group.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us