By and large, Al Jazeera is ‘doing ok’ in its Gaza coverage, writes Philip Stone. He takes a look at the aspects of its reporting and concludes that “its coverage of the Mumbai attacks and now Gaza shows it certainly has logistical advantages in that part of the world, and if it can only keep its reporters and anchors straight for a mainstream international audience, then it really can be a viable cable news alternative to CNN International and BBC World.”
Was there a ‘veil of silence’ over international media when it came to covering the buildup up to Israel’s recent invasion of Gaza or has coverage been biased in favour of Palestine, readers’ letters to E&P ask.
The Israeli tank crew who killed Shana in the Gaza Strip four months ago will not face legal action as a result of the investigation.
Troops could not determine whether Shana, who had covered events in Gaza for Reuters for three years, was carrying a camera or a weapon, but were ‘nonetheless justified’ in firing the shell, a letter from Israel’s senior military advocate-general to the news agency said.
“I’m extremely disappointed that this report condones a disproportionate use of deadly force in a situation the army itself admitted had not been analysed clearly. They would appear to take the view that any raising of a camera into position could garner a deadly response,” said David Schlesinger, Reuters editor-in-chief, in a press statement.
Reuters has responded to the findings with a letter to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) asking why the tank crew did not attempt to find out if Shana was a cameraman as his blue flak jacket marked ‘PRESS’ suggested.
According to the army, the troops could not see this sign.
“These findings mean that a journalist with a camera is at risk of coming under fire and there’s not that much that can be done. That’s unacceptable. It’s difficult to believe (…) that the IDF took the necessary precautions to avoid causing harm to civilians – as it is obliged to do under international law,” said Joel Campagna from the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The video from Reuters below shows the last seconds of footage shot by Shana before his death:
Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana, 23, was killed yesterday in Gaza by an explosion, the media group has announced.
Shana, who is the first Reuters journalist to be killed in Gaza, was on his way to cover an incident when his vehicle stopped. On getting out of the vehicle an explosion killed Shana and two bystanders.
A soundman travelling with Shana escaped serious injury.
David Schlesinger, Reuters editor-in-chief, has called for an investigation into the incident.
“This tragic incident shows the risks journalists take every day to report the news. All governments and organisations have a responsibility to take the utmost care to protect professionals trying to do their jobs,” he said in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with his family. We request an immediate investigation into the incident by the Israeli defence forces.”
Shana had worked for Reuters in Gaza for over three years and was one of 15 journalists from the news organisation in the region.
