Press freedom group The Committee to Protect Journalists is reviewing the way it identifies and records journalists killed in war zones.
The move follows the CPJ wrongly naming combatants as slain reporters in its database for the Israel–Gaza war after the militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad published obituaries unmasking as fighters individuals previously listed as journalists. Members of the media, and particularly war correspondents, are protected in war zones by international law in the event that they don’t actively engage in hostilities.
“CPJ has all the time been clear that we don’t include anyone in our data sets if there’s evidence that they were engaging in combat or inciting imminent violence. That is consistent with international humanitarian law, which considers journalists affiliated with non-state actors to be civilians, provided they do indirectly take part in hostilities,” CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in an announcement.
With the published obituaries, the press freedom group said Hamas and PIJ had admitted a few of its fighters previously designated as “journalists” killed within the Gaza war zone had the truth is been combatants. In consequence, the CPJ removed eight names from its casualty database for Gaza because they’d “participated in combat.”
A further 12 individuals were faraway from CPJ’s casualties page because investigations indicated either they’d not in any case been journalists, had not died while on task as a journalist or media employee, or had survived an attack after being reported as missing. As of June 25, the CPJ said its tally of journalists or media employees killed by Israel in Gaza and in Israeli detention centers since Oct. 7, 2023, stood at 209 individuals.
Ginsberg said the review, expected to conclude in July, will assess all remaining names on its “killed” journalists lists to verify they weren’t in combat on the time of their deaths. The goal is to guard journalists and media employees lively in war zones.
“CPJ condemns in no uncertain terms the misrepresentation of combatants as journalists or media employees, or the misuse of ‘Press’ insignia. Such actions endanger each individual journalist legitimately attempting to report,” Ginsberg added.