In an unprecedented international operation organised by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the global campaigning movement Avaaz, more than 250 news outlets from over 70 countries will simultaneously black out their front pages and website homepages, and interrupt their broadcasting to condemn the murder of journalists by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. Together, these newsrooms demand an end to impunity for Israeli crimes against Gaza’s reporters, the emergency evacuation of reporters seeking to leave the Strip and that foreign press be granted independent access to the territory.
For the first time in recent history, newsrooms across the world have coordinated a large-scale editorial protest in solidarity with journalists in Gaza. The front pages of print newspapers will be published in black with a strong written message. Television and radio stations will interrupt their programmes to broadcast a joint statement. Online media outlets will black out their homepages or publish a banner as a sign of solidarity. Individual journalists have also joined the campaign and will post messages on their social media accounts.
This operation comes as 220 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip in less than 23 months, according to RSF data. On the night of 10 August alone, the Israeli army killed six journalists in a targeted strike against Al-Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif. Fifteen days later, on 25 August, the Israeli army killed five journalists in two consecutive strikes. In parallel to these killings, the Israeli army has barred foreign journalists from entering the Strip for nearly two years, leaving Palestinian journalists to cover the war while under fire.
Read HERE the full article by Reporters Without Borders
