Journalists, as well as the truth, are among the casualties of the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict. Targeting journalists in the Gaza Strip with a "cynical" agenda to "undermine" the truth and hide realities on the ground is not excusable, Türkiye's communications director said on Sunday.
"We are deeply concerned and saddened by violence against reporters, journalists, and news organizations on the ground ... We strongly oppose attacks and massacres against civilians including our colleagues," Fahrettin Altun said on X. "Respectable and decent journalism can serve peace through reflecting the realities that are otherwise hidden from the scrutiny of the general public." He said "info wars" on social media continue to pose a danger to our access to "accurate information" as organized groups "constantly conduct disinformation campaigns that distort or fabricate reality." "In such a critical time, all media institutions have a duty to report verified information only," Altun said. He called on media organizations and reporters to pay "extra attention to misinformation campaigns and be vigilant about those who are trying to serve their war aims by manipulating publics around the world."
Editorial teams "must report accurately and push back against disinformation campaigns," the communications director said, adding that broadcasters should "air truth," reject "inflammatory" content and avoid enabling those with war-related agendas. "We must stand and fight together for truth and for peace," he stressed.
At least 12 journalists have been killed in the first eight days of conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Killings are not confined to Gaza. A Reuters videographer was among those killed by Israeli shelling targeting southern Lebanon on Friday. Issam Abdallah was among a group of international journalists gathered to cover the exchange of fire along the border. Reuters said in a statement that two of its journalists, Thaer al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, were wounded in the same shelling, while Qatar’s Al-Jazeera TV said its cameraman Elie Brakhya and reporter Carmen Joukhadar, were wounded as well. France’s international news agency, Agence France-Presse (AFP), said two of its journalists were also wounded. They were identified as photographer Christina Assi, and video journalist Dylan Collins. Journalists from various countries have been flocking to Lebanon to monitor the situation.
The international watchdog group Reporters Without Borders said Saturday that Issam Abdallah, 37, was the seventh journalist to be killed covering the Israel-Palestine conflict in a week, including six killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. The organization said that Abdallah and the others with him were “clearly identifiable” as journalists “according to several sources.”
Like in every conflict, social media, particularly X, has been awash with disinformation content, from videos to texts. More often than not, they play into the hands of Israel, such as fake videos purportedly showing Hamas' brutality toward civilians. Türkiye's Presidency's Directorate of Communications itself releases weekly bulletins against disinformation spread across social media regarding the Palestine-Israel conflict.
