Smear. Kill. Repeat.

The chilling playbook Israel has developed for journalists in Gaza.

In this special episode, we examine the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza during two years of Israeli genocide. With international media barred from freely reporting in the Strip, local journalists have risked their lives to document the unprecedented killing, destruction and displacement around them.

How can Israel kill journalists with impunity?

More media workers killed in Gaza genocide than in previous conflicts in history.

Israel’s murder of four Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza has sparked international condemnation.

And it’s not the first time.

Although Israel has killed at least 237 media workers since its war began, these and other killings have gone unpunished.

The Gaza war reporters who are suffering alongside the rest of the population

We only know about the situation in Gaza thanks in no small part to the work of Palestinian journalists working on the ground. Israel does not allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza, except on tightly controlled embeds alongside Israeli troops. For that reason, global media heavily rely on local reporters. But like the rest of the people in Gaza, they too are affected by aid shortages.

Drone footage raises questions about Israeli justification for deadly strike on Gaza journalists

 

On Jan. 7, the Israeli military conducted a targeted missile strike on a car carrying four Palestinian journalists outside Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

Two members of an Al Jazeera crew — Hamza Dahdouh, 27, and drone operator Mustafa Thuraya, 30 — were killed, along with their driver. Two freelance journalists were seriously wounded.

They were returning from the scene of an earlier Israeli strike on a building, where they had used a drone to capture the aftermath. The drone — a consumer model available at Best Buy — would be central to the Israeli justification for the strike.

Gaza journalists flee from Israeli fire

Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat filmed himself and colleagues fleeing Israeli fire in Gaza, which he says was deliberately directed at them.

Gaza’s journalists: ‘Targets’ or ‘casualties’ of Israel’s war?

According to Gaza’s government media office, Israel’s military has now killed 97 journalists in the Strip. Israel has barred international media from entering Gaza, firsthand reporting on the onslaught there has been left to Palestinians already locked into the occupied territory 

Twitter suspends journalists who have been covering Elon Musk and the company

 Thursday's suspensions come as Musk has backtracked on his promise that he Thursday's suspensions come as Musk has backtracked on his promise that he would run Twitter as a free speech absolutist could run Twitter as a free speech absolutist.

Twitter suspended several high-profile journalists Thursday evening who have been covering the company and Elon Musk.

The suspensions come a day after Twitter changed its policies around accounts that track private jets, including one owned by Elon Musk.

The accounts of Ryan Mac of The New York Times, Donie O'Sullivan of CNN, Drew Harwell of The Washington Post, Matt Binder of Mashable, Micah Lee of The Intercept and independent journalists Aaron Rupar and Tony Webster had all been suspended as of Thursday evening.

From Rolling Stone

Twitter on Thursday afternoon, adding onto an already controversial week of content moderation decisions by new platform owner Elon Musk. 

New York Times reporter Ryan Mac, The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell, Mashable’s Matt Binder, CNN reporter Donie O’Sullivan, and independent journalist Aaron Rupar were removed from the platform in a late afternoon purge. The removed accounts shared a common thread of critical coverage of Musk and his management and policy decisions following his October takeover of Twitter. 

Also removed from twitter was an account run by freelance journalist Tony Webster, who shared on Mastodon, that he was booted from his account with no warning. “My Twitter account has been suspended,” he wrote with a screenshot of his suspended account. “I’ve received no explanation.”

From The New York Times:

The social media service, which is owned by Elon Musk, said the accounts were suspended for “violating the Twitter rules” but did not provide details.

Twitter suspended the accounts of roughly half a dozen journalists on Thursday, the latest change by the social media service under its new owner, Elon Musk.

The accounts suspended included Ryan Mac of The New York Times; Drew Harwell of The Washington Post; Aaron Rupar, an independent journalist; Donie O’Sullivan of CNN; Matt Binder of Mashable; Tony Webster, an independent journalist; and the political journalist Keith Olbermann. It was unclear what the suspensions had in common; each user’s Twitter page included a message that said it was suspended for “violating the Twitter rules.”

Sahil Kapur

@sahilkapur

Just tried to post a link to my Mastadon account and Twitter blocked my tweet as “harmful”

The exiled Russian journalists challenging Kremlin censorship

 

Hundreds of journalists have left Russia since the authorities passed a law threatening prison terms for those who contradict the Kremlin’s narratives on Ukraine.

Russia’s leading independent media outlets are now almost all based abroad.

BBC Monitoring’s Jennifer Monaghan explores the challenges they face.

Ukraine-Russia: A prolonged propaganda war

 

Four months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we look at how Russian media is spinning a new war narrative. Plus, misogyny in Greek media.

Ukraine – and the Kremlin’s special media operation that has Russian journalists under control.

How India’s first all-women newsroom is creating a media revolution

Khabar Lahariya or Waves of News is an all-women newsroom in northern India.

Its co-founder, Kavita Bundelkhandi, learned to write when she was 12. Many of her staff are from marginalised backgrounds and include survivors of domestic abuse and violence.

Her team has faced discrimination and death threats, but have gone on to produce award-winning stories about illegal mining, jungle bandits and the daily lives of rural communities.

How Ukrainian journalists risk their lives to report on the war | Focus on Europe

 

Reporters Without Borders teams up with Ukrainian partners to protect journalists in Lviv. Here they can network and receive protective gear to safeguard them while reporting in a war zone.

Omicron coverage in overdrive

The new coronavirus variant has driven frenzied coverage – but with little known for sure, how much is accurate? And, we uncover the story behind the rise of K-drama.

A new coronavirus variant has brought uncertainty back into the pandemic story. With scientists and journalists racing to understand Omicron, news audiences have been left with more questions than answers.

Sudan’s military coup and the stifling of speech

 

Net jamming and journalist arrests, the military junta is squeezing speech in Sudan. Plus, the political rise of far-right French journalist Eric Zemmour.

Sudan’s flirtation with democracy ends in a coup d’etat – how far will the junta go to control what we know about the story?

The Taliban Attacks Journalists Covering Protests

 This Taliban is the same ole Taliban.   No matter what they said during press conferences in an effort to appease the global community the Taliban were always going to revert to type. Women playing sport: Banned,  women in government no thank you, protests against are government: Don't even think about it. 

Of course there was, we'll accept a free press pronouncements as if such a thing would ever be allowed.  Several Afghani journalists were arrested and others beaten by the Taliban as they attempted to cover those protesting against the current government. 

A spate of violent attacks on Afghan journalists by the Taliban is prompting growing alarm over the freedom of the country’s media, with one senior journalist declaring that “press freedom has ended”.

As images and testimony circulated internationally of the arrest and brutal flogging of two reporters who were detained covering a women’s rights demonstration in Kabul on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists raised concern over the recent string of attacks.

In just two days this week, the Taliban detained and later released at least 14 journalists covering protests in Kabul, with at least six of these journalists subject to violence during their arrests or detention, the CPJ reported.

The Spy in Your Phone | Al Jazeera World

 

In mid-2020, a mobile phone belonging to an Al Jazeera Arabic investigative team was hacked. Over the next few months, reporter Tamer Almisshal and the Canadian research group Citizen Lab investigated Pegasus, the sophisticated spyware used.

Tokyo Olympics: To Reporters We're Watching You

 That's the organizers of the Tokyo Olympics have announced that they'll be tracking foreign journalists through GPS. What could be more Ministry of Love than that. 

Toshiro Muto, the CEO of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, said Tuesday that media personnel entering Japan from abroad could be monitored by GPS to make sure they follow the rules that will be spelled out in the third edition of the so-called Playbooks due out later this month.

Muto said media would be tested twice before they left home, and for several days after they enter Japan. He said they would have to sign a “pledge” to follow the rules, and would be restricted from free movement for the first 14 days.

“If any violations are found, measures such as suspension or deprivation of accreditation and deportation proceedings will be strictly applied,” Muto said.

Next they'll force them to join Kisha clubs (press clubs) so they can really have control over their reporting. 

Pakistani journalists under attack

 

There’s rising concern about a growing number of attacks on journalists and human rights activists in Pakistan – allegedly at the hands of the country’s powerful intelligence services.

Has trust in journalists, government leaders hit an all-time low?

 New global survey finds most people believe media and politicians are trying to mislead people by spreading misinformation.

Misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories have filled the vacuum left by the mistrust of media and politicians, which makes people doubt all information – both good and bad.

This has led to real-world consequences, such as the belief among some Americans that the results of the 2020 election could and should be overturned, and the hesitancy of at least one-third of the global population to take the coronavirus vaccine.

Images from U.S. Capitol Attack

 

Journalists risked their lives to capture these photos during Wednesday's attack on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters.

Journalist Finds 300+ Incidents Of Press Abuse In 2 Weeks Of Protests | NowThis

‘Our First Amendment rights are not being respected as they need to be.’ — This journalist found 300+ cases of press abuse during ongoing protests in the U.S.