Committee to Protect Journalists Removes Member After Israel Pressure on Gaza Deaths
"CPJ is under a lot of pressure to redo the way that it counts journalists who've been killed in Gaza by Israel. The distinction has always been no. If you're a journalist, doesn't matter if you work for RT. Your job is to protect the journalists, not to defend what they say, who they say it on behalf of."
About this episode
Ryan Grim and his co-host discuss explosive new footage from October 7th showing Israeli military officials explicitly authorizing strikes on Gaza even if Israeli hostages were killed, implementing the controversial Hannibal Doctrine that Israel claimed to have abandoned in 2016. The documentary footage captures discussions of bombing the Gaza border and deploying helicopters with full knowledge that abducted Israeli soldiers would be killed, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appearing on scene and ordering cameras shut off when he realized he was being filmed. The hosts analyze how this contradicts official Israeli narratives about the attack and note the timing of the footage's release coincides with upcoming Israeli elections that threaten Netanyahu's coalition. The episode also covers the removal of a board member from the Committee to Protect Journalists after she opposed pressure from Israel to exclude Gaza journalists who work for organizations Israel designates as terrorist-affiliated. The hosts explain CPJ's traditional principle that journalists deserve protection based on their conduct as reporters, not their employer's political affiliations, noting that Israel has killed more journalists than any other modern conflict. They draw parallels to how state-affiliated media exists worldwide, from RT to BBC to Israeli military radio, and argue that allowing governments to kill journalists based on employer affiliation would legitimize targeting reporters from the ANC, Hezbollah-sympathetic outlets, or any organization a state labels terrorist. The discussion emphasizes how this represents a fundamental threat to press freedom and access to information about Gaza.
Key takeaways
- Newly released October 7th footage shows Israeli officials explicitly authorizing attacks that would kill Israeli hostages under the Hannibal Doctrine they claimed to have abandoned.
- Documentary video captures Ben-Gvir ordering cameras shut off after realizing military discussions about killing hostages along with Hamas fighters were being filmed.
- The Hannibal Doctrine prioritizes preventing hostage negotiations over Israeli lives, considering it better to kill hostages than exchange Palestinian administrative detainees.
- Committee to Protect Journalists removed board member who opposed Israeli pressure to exclude journalists working for organizations Israel designates as terrorist groups.
- CPJ traditionally protected all journalists based on their reporting work regardless of employer, treating state-affiliated media from any country equally under press freedom principles.
- Israel has killed more journalists in Gaza than any other modern conflict according to CPJ's own previous reporting with stricter definitions than other organizations.
- The timing of October 7th footage release coincides with Israeli elections threatening Netanyahu's coalition government that includes Ben-Gvir and other right-wing figures.