I have just published a report on journalists in Gaza.
Hamas, NGOs, and key media figures have been spreading an antisemitic conspiracy about Israel killing journalists in Gaza to silence them. Some well-known skewed ‘journalists’ like Alex Crawford at Sky News are consistently posting about journalists being killed. In this post she references 109 journalists dead – simply parroting raw Hamas propaganda:
While Hamas (and activist journos like Crawford) are claiming 109+ have died, the American NGO ‘Committee for Protecting Journalists’ (CPJ) claim it is about 70.
I took these lies as a challenge and did what I do best; I went looking for the social media accounts of the 107 journalists who had been named (to 4/1/24). I successfully found 100 of them. Today in the report I am publishing the results of what I found.
Working backwards to confirm journalists
It is impossible to overstate how bad the information circulating about these journalists is. It is easy to be dismissive and say that ‘Hamas’ lie, but many people have bought into this fiction, which is why I needed to address it. I focused on the CPJ list because it is given far more credit and legitimacy in the west. Having researched it thoroughly, the CPJ deserve nothing but shame.
What is effectively happening is that Hamas is making up stories in Gaza and using its international anti-Israel network to take the lies viral. Western media figures sympathise with the story of the dead journalists and rush to stand in solidarity with their ‘brave fallen colleagues’. Western NGOs (like the CPJ) take the exaggerated Hamas figure, dust off a few of the more obvious fake ones, and hold up the rest as genuine. That act of ‘professionalism’ earns them airtime with global news outlets such as the BBC.
The whole thing is bogus.
Hamas operatives as journalists
Half of the people that the CPJ list as journalists work for Hamas or Islamic Jihad channels. The CPJ admit some do, but either from ignorance or laziness they appear unaware of the others. In any case they still list them all as journalists. This is in direct breach of the CPJ’s own guidelines which says working for terrorist groups (they call them militants) should discount them. The situation is absurd.
Hassuna Salim has his own Telegram Channel. On the morning of 7 October he made 100s of celebratory posts. But he also posted this. It is a call from the Islamic Jihad for everyone to rise up, grab their weapon and fight. Calls such as these were the driver for 100s of ‘civilians’ to cross into Israel and rape and murder Israelis.
It is an offensive lie to refer to this person as a journalist. This is what the CPJ are protecting. It is disgraceful.
Working backwards
Forget the Hamas lies. Hamas are there to deceive. Part of the problem appears to be the CPJ did one-dimensional, lazy, and amateurish research. They took the Hamas list and worked backwards. They probably googled the name and if they found a couple of links in support then they ran with it themselves. This is working the wrong way round. To confirm someone is actually real they needed to find them online. They are looking for journalists, not hermits. I found 100 accounts – which meant this is all public – so why didn’t the CPJ?
Because the CPJ did not research properly, the entire CPJ list was full of errors and the report gives dozens of examples. It also means that to the CPJ the subject never became a real person. It is how I know many of those included in the lists are not journalists at all.
By linking to their social media, I could see their images, their connections, and the real-world ‘flavour’ of the account.
For example, Mohamed Ayash made a post in June mourning the loss of his best friend. In July, when he had a baby, he even named the baby after his friend. His best friend’s name was Mohieddin al-Sadoudi – a Hamas terrorist – who died in a training accident.
Time after time I saw brothers, cousins, fathers, and sons of these ‘journalists’ posting images of themselves with weapons, images of Hamas material, or images of dead ‘martyr’ relatives.
Journalists dying at work
This is really important because the majority of journalists died at home, not at work. It is another area in which the CPJ have lost the plot. This is from their list:
Note the list suggests they died on dangerous assignment. They didn’t. All three died at home. In addition, note also that two of them (Balousha and Bhar) worked for media run by proscribed terrorist groups. This all causes huge mistakes which the report goes in to in detail.
If someone works for the media of a terror group, and the family is aligned with that terror group, and they died at home – how can the CPJ possibly claim journalism had anything to do with their death. 30/35 of the CPJ ‘journalists’ who worked for terrorist media, died at home. The CPJ list is just ridiculous.
Support for terrorism
Another part of the report shows how many of these people supported terrorist attacks that murdered innocent civilians. In total around 70% did. Which means there are examples of 54 ‘journalists’ who posted multiple celebrations such as this one – posted as seven Israelis were slaughtered outside a synagogue in Jerusalem on January 27 2023.
The report runs to 150 pages and includes many examples / issues not covered here. It is full of evidence and there is far too much to cover in a single article. The bottom line is simple; Israel is not targeting journalists. This is just another antisemitic lie going mainstream.
The report is downloadable here.
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We’re not losing any sleep over here about dead ISIS terrorists whether dressed up as Journos, Ambulance Drivers, Hospital Directors, UNWRA Employees, Peace-Loving Nans (with beards and AKs), or pretend cadavers that miraculously come back to life when the cameras turn off.
This is the same complicit population that spits on Jewish hostages when they are dragged through their streets, hands out sweets when Jewish babies are taken into terror tunnels and pledges to repeat their attacks on Jews or die trying.
Our role is to facilitate the latter with minimal delay and I think we’re doing a really excellent job.
P.S. To respondents who bleat all that “Ooooh, genocide. What about the 50,000 dead Gazan babies?” shite, name them.
Many of these so-called journalists would in another time and with another enemy be called at best spokesman for particular groups, rather than journalists.
I know that the Internet has allowed anyone with a computer who posts anything the ability to call themselves journalists, but its also the special interests of certain parties and groups that push this for the propaganda value of said reporting by giving it a veneer of of genuineness and respectability.
A very topical issue, especially after the claims of journalists from ‘Al Jazeera’ killed yesterday
David
Well done. My ignorant and inexcpereinced comments follow :
Have you asked the CPJ for comment ?
What about getting someone to issue this as a Press Bulletin ?
All the best
Michael
Thanks Michael. I haven’t asked the CPJ for comment. When I consider such a move worthwhile, I do approach – but in this case with hostile NGOs I see no value in an approach *before* publication.
As for getting this out to media. That’s always an ongoing thing. Some will be running articles soon I believe. Some won’t because of legal fears.
Sorry, David, but any journalist worth their salt would seek a comment from the vilest of organizations even if they are sure that the response will be rubbish. Makes them look even worse.
Good research though
Sorry Dina, I don’t buy that. There are times when the questions should be asked, and times when there is no point. The ‘standard’ of seeking a response is part of a legal process that most papers run though, in order to protect themselves. That was the core reason for taking that action. On top of this the ‘right of reply’ can help to properly frame and contextualise an article – but if the legal threat wasn’t there, the journalists wouldn’t do it. The idea that it is about the ‘value’ or professionalism of a journalist is an absolute based on nothing. Our journalists – the top ones in the UK, from Sky to BBC have been regurgitating Hamas propaganda. All the information in my report was publicly available and yet not one of them – not one – bothered to check. That to me, is something that ‘any journalist worth their salt’ would have done, before going on about dead journalists. Professionalism that is far more important than a fear of being sued. The age of honesty has gone. NGOs, media outlets, they are all just agenda driven. These are not honest actors. And I have no reason at all to treat them as anything other than crooks.
Must add of course, that I have since sent them an email…. asking a few questions on the basis of an already published report. If they want to reply now, they can do so.
Thank you for this research.
Great work as ever. Well done. Exposing the lies will eventually make a real difference. Thank you for your perseverance in this.
There are hardly ANY actual journalists anywhere, only propagandists. BBC, C4, NYT, CNN, Guardian and all the other cageliners haven’t had any journalists for many years. Heck, is Owen Jones a ‘journalist’? Plenty of nutters seem to think so. Is anyone at the unhinged Novara Media a ‘journalist’? Ditto.
My blood boils whenever I hear Owen Jones speak about Israel or any Middle East matters
It doesn’t really help your argument when you state: “the majority of journalists died at home, not at work.” That only illustrates how excessive and random Israel’s bombing campaign is. Even excluding all the people who are sympathetic or work for Palestinian outlets, Israel has killed far too many journalists, including reporters from outlets like Reuters. The IAF also bombed the AFP offices.
So you don’t care about the truth? It isn’t important to you. You have decided because of nonsense that you have chosen to believe that Israel is guilty of all this stuff… and when someone points out you are factually incorrect you simply say ‘ well anyway.. bla bla.. whatever”’…
You have NO CASE if you cannot stick to the truth. And if truth is NOT IMPORTANT TO YOU. Then nobody should pay attention to anything you have to say.
The simple facts you discard are:
That the CPJ state these people died on dangerous assignment. This is a lie. Many died at home.
Once we know they died at home. We can question who the actual target was (see numerous examples in the report). In other words saying they were killed for journalism is also a lie.
Then half worked for terrorist groups. Calling them journalists is another lie.
So if you actually stopped to read the damn report rather than just find a single line to attack (and show everyone how stupid you are) you’d know my argument was far more than just ‘hey they were killed at home’..
But hey – as we have seen, you don’t care about the truth anyway…
“Israel has killed far too many journalists”
How many is just enough Mr/Ms. Glickman? Did you have a number in mind?
Please send your quota in for the coming week and we’ll do our best to meet your targets.
The tragedy of Arab Palestinians is the abuse of humanitarian labels or “journalists” abels for crimes against both, their own people snd of Israelis.
Speaking of “journslists=activists”…
rab “Palestinian” Mohammed El-Kurd from East Jerusalem who seeks to ‘normalize the massacres’ is just following al Husseini’s footsteps who coined ‘Itbakh Al Yahud’ in 1920, 21 years before he met Hitler followed by his Nazi Arab radio ‘Kill the Jews wherever they are.’
Edward Said wrote, that in 1946, the Mufti had the wide consensus of Arabs in “Palestine.”
___
GRAP – genocidal radical racist arab-palestinian
Not much has changed since Sakakini’s, Feb-1941 poll, 88% of Arabs in Mandatory Palestine: for the Nazis.
Are the Zionist terrorists still occupying Palestine?
Dunno Jack. According to old Raghed Chowdray, ‘Palestine’ is everywhere from the top of Luton High Street to the Al Johlsun Function Room of the Jamia Islamia Ghousia Mosque. There may be the odd Yid lurking in those parts pitching for the catering gig. Perhaps you could check it out and get back to us, son.
JackT Our resident anti-Jewish Antisemitie
Are you still spewing your mendacious anti-Jewish hatred
I call you an anti-Jewish Antisemite because of your obsessive obsession with who and what Jews are
Richard, give me an example of my ‘anti Jewish hatred’.
‘ey up Jack. Was that you on the TikTok film tearing off the hostage poster of baby Kfir Bibas up Luton High Street and scrawling ‘gas the Jews’ in black marker? I heard the smirking vegan with purple hair simper ‘ don’t talk to them Jack’.
Jack T(wat)
Vehemently opposed to the existence of the world’s ONLY Jewish state but has no problem with the existence of multiple Islamic states ? The Islamic Republic of Pakistan? The Islamic Republic of Iran? The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan? etc….?
Then claims to not hate Jews ??
🤪
Dozey Dobkin, If you are Jewish I respect you, but not if you are a Zionist. You must surely know that Israel is NOT a Jewish State it is a Zionist State, founded and run by Zionist terrorists. Why do you support a State which is now carrying out genocide against innocent people?
JackT, Our resident anti-Jewish Antisemite
There is no particular point that defines what I term your anti-Jewish Antisemitism.
Rather it is your overall obsession with Jews; your constant attempts to define good and bad Jews, your constant obsession with what Zionism is etc.
I will say however that your level of anti-Jewish Antisemitism pales into insignificance in relation to the torrent of anti-Jewish Antisemitic hatred that has sullied and polluted the Internet since October 7th.
The anti-Jewish Antisemitic rhetoric today is right out of the pages of Der Sturmer and the Antisemitism of pre-war Nazi Germany.
The Antisemitism today has taken the anti-Jewish Antisemitism and just replaced them with the words anti-Israel and anti-Zionist. You were hovering around that point, but without the naked venom and hatred, though it is just a short step away.
Richard, you obviously cannot cite any examples of me having any Jewish hatred, because they do not exist. I have a profound dislike of the Israeli State, simply because it has held the Palestinians under military occupation for decades and in the process it has slaughtered 10s of thousands of innocent men, women and children for resisting the occupation. All decent people are opposed to the racist, apartheid Israeli State and will not be detered by the childish accusations of antiSemitism, which has now been devalued to the extent that it is meaningless.
JackT
I was born in South Africa and experienced Apartheid in the raw.
The definition of Apartheid in the dictionary (Longmans) is’a policy of keeping different Racial groups desperate from each other’. Both South Africa and the Nazi Germans did this, and they did this by racist legislation.
Firstly; the Palestinians are not Israeli and are are not governed by Israeli law. Secondly; International Law dictates that it it is illegal to rule the ‘occupied territories’ under Israeli law. Thus Palestinians are governed under Palestinian and Hamas law, British Mandatory law, Jordanian law (from the illegal annexation between 1948-67), Ottoman law, and the Law of Occupation as set out in the Geneva Convention.
Israeli Muslims are not governed under separate laws from Israeli Jews, though as in all countries (especially Arab/Muslim ones) there is always going to be an element of racism and discrimination.
So can you please in your own words, without referencing anti-Israel NGO’s accusations, give me examples of this so-called Israeli apartheid. I have asked countless people this question over the years, including the Bet’zalem leader, and have never yet received a coherent answer
JackT,
I said that there are no specific areas of anti-Jewish Antisemitism on your part.
I said it was your global attitude that is anti-Jewish Antisemitism.
I have always said it is your obsessive obsession with Jews, Israel and Zionism and your attempt to define good anti-Israel anti-Zionist jews with the ‘bad’ Zionist Jews.
Your constant attempts to tell Zionist Jews that we are not real Jews and that Israel is a Zionist state, not a Jewish state are both mendacious and puerile.
What knowledge and who bestowed upon you this right to define who Jews are; this is entering the realm of the Nazi racial classifications.
I have often said that Zionism is an idea and a fact that runs through the body of Judaism and Jewish thought.
Religious Jews, whether they are Zionist or not, pray everyday facing towards Jerusalem and for the return to Zion(Jerusalem and the Land of Israel)
So that is why I call you an anti-Jewish Antisemite