Journalism and the “Battles of Survival” The world has witnessed many instabilities and fierce wars in 2023. And the press has also gone through many "battles" that can be said to be of survival. That is when they plunge into the midst of bombs and bullets to report on conflicts or disasters. In addition, it is also a war against misinformation to regain the truth and a war for existence against the oppression of technology giants! |
During war, the mission of the press is not only to bring the truth to the public, but also to warn about the cruelty of war, thereby contributing to the search for peace for humanity.
As 2022 came to a close, press organizations around the world reported that it was the deadliest year for journalists, with 58 people working in the media and journalism industry killed on the job. This was the highest number in the previous four years, and even up 13.7% compared to 2021. Looking more broadly, the period from 2003 to the end of 2022 was also considered the deadliest decade for the journalism industry, with nearly 1,700 people killed.
However, 2023 is the most terrifying year for the world of journalism in recent years, when a series of major changes in the world, from natural disasters, catastrophes, gang violence, hatred and especially war, have directly caused dangers to journalists who engage in these events.
As 2023 has not yet passed, a “sad record” for journalism has been set. As of the end of November 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has counted 69 journalists who have died while doing their work, such as in combat or indirectly because of their work, such as being murdered for reporting on gang activities.
Of course, that number does not capture the full extent of the dangers journalists have faced over the past 12 months. There are simply no comprehensive statistics on the number of journalists who have been physically injured, let alone those who have been traumatized and psychologically threatened by the terrifying events they cover, especially in armed conflict.
International reporters work in the southern Israeli city of Sderot as fighting with Hamas rages. Photo: AFP
The Israel-Gaza war is too brutal for journalists
The entire journalism world was devastated when it was announced on 25 October that Wael Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s Gaza correspondent, had lost his entire family to Israeli air strikes, including his wife, son, daughter and grandson. The news of the deaths was particularly poignant as he was reporting live from the scene of the war.
After receiving the bad news, journalist Wael Dahdouh's live broadcast continued, but this time the camera lens was focused on Wael Dahdouh as the subject. The reporter team continued to film and followed him to the hospital, where the bodies of his most beloved people were lying. The image of Wael Dahdouh painfully holding the body wrapped in the shroud of his little daughter was shown live on television, making all viewers choke.
War journalists are always aware and advised that they must protect their own lives first. But for Palestinian journalists in Gaza, ensuring their lives is impossible, simply because they have to play both roles in this war: as citizens of the war zone and as journalists with the responsibility to go to the field to report. However, Wael Dahdouh and many other journalists have not given up on their mission to bring information to the world even after losing loved ones and knowing that they could lose their lives at any moment.
There is no doubt that the war in Gaza has been more than a nightmare for Palestinian journalists, and it is no exaggeration to say “hell”. It is worth noting that the Ukraine-Russia conflict is the largest war in Europe since World War II and is much larger in scale than the war in Gaza, but in the past nearly two years, it has only seen about 17 journalists killed while on duty.
Palestinian journalist Wael Dahdouh grieves as he arrives to receive the bodies of his wife and two children at a hospital in Gaza. Photo: Al Jazeera
Threats to female journalists on the rise around the world Despite the progress in gender equality around the world over the years, threats and discrimination against women journalists are at risk of increasing due to instability and crises around the world. According to a study by UNESCO and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) in May 2023, 20% of female journalists worldwide have been harmed by threats, abuse, hate speech and online harassment. Furthermore, on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8, 2023, Women in Journalism (WIJ) released a survey that sheds light on the issue of violence against women journalists. Of the 403 respondents, 25% said they had experienced sexual harassment or sexual violence related to their work. 75% of female journalists said they had experienced a threat or challenge to their safety, and nearly 20% of female journalists considered leaving the industry altogether.  Female journalists are victims of hate speech on social media. Illustration photo: GI |
Yet as of November 21, just about a month and a half since the outbreak of war, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has seen 53 journalists killed on different fronts, from Gaza, the West Bank to clashes on the Israel-Lebanon border.
According to statistics, the dead included 46 Palestinians, 4 Israeli journalists and 3 Lebanese. In addition, dozens of journalists were injured while working in the war, including members of major news agencies in the world such as Reuters, AFP and Al Jazeera.
The war in Israel-Gaza and its related fronts is the most daunting challenge for even the most seasoned war correspondents, given the fact that the distance between the targets of attack and the journalists’ work sites is very fragile. For example, two journalists from the Pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV channel were hit by a mortar attack and killed on the Lebanese-Israeli border in mid-November. Earlier, a Lebanese media center with many international journalists was also hit by a mortar attack, killing one person and injuring six others.
Thus, not only Palestinian journalists in Gaza are in danger of their lives in the war, but international journalists who are bravely covering this war can also face death at any time. In this war, major international media agencies such as CNN, Reuters, AP, CBS, FOX or ABC News also sent war correspondents to report and directly report on the fighting between the two sides. The breathtaking footage that journalists recorded during their work journey brought to the world terrible images and extreme fear in war. Those footages partly help us understand how terrifying war is, how precious peace is!
Danger on the "front lines"
Of course, 2023 is not only a year of great risk for journalists because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also because of many other wars and many other crises. Note that the 17th journalist killed in the Russia-Ukraine war only took place on November 23 of this year, when Russian television reporter Boris Maksudov of the Rossiya 24 channel was killed in a Ukrainian airstrike and shelling in Zaporizhzhia.
So the danger to journalists in Russia and Ukraine – who bring the world first-hand information about the war every day – has not diminished in nearly two years, regardless of which side of the conflict they are on. And now, like the general situation of the war, there is no sign of when this danger will end.
Wars and disasters are breaking out across continents in 2023. And obviously, these are all places where journalists must set foot to help the world know what is going on. That means that as many crises as there are in the world, journalists must face as many dangers, possibly losing their lives or even having to give up their profession.
The civil war in Sudan earlier this year illustrates that picture. Fighting between two military factions in the African nation has put journalists in danger and exacerbated the challenges they face in their work. Because of the crisis, hundreds of journalists have not only faced risks in their work, but also lost the opportunity to pursue their careers, as they have been forced to emigrate or their news organizations have been forced to close due to the fighting.
In Afghanistan, most female journalists have also had to give up their jobs due to the Taliban government's harsh policies towards women, many of whom have had their homes raided, arrested, threatened, imprisoned, etc. The above is a common situation in many other conflicts around the world in 2023, as well as before.
Meanwhile, the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria have brought other terrifying experiences to journalists. In addition to being a victim of aftershocks, witnessing this terrible disaster will affect the spirit of journalists. According to the sharing of war correspondents, escaping the heartbreaking stories they witnessed in horrific events such as the earthquake that killed nearly 60,000 people mentioned above is not easy, even becoming a lifelong obsession.
 Attacks on journalists while on duty occur all over the world. Photo: WAFA Reporters are attacked while working, everywhere! Reporters being attacked or robbed while working are becoming more and more common and happen almost everywhere in the world. Right at the APEC 2023 conference in San Francisco in mid-November, a group of Czech reporters were robbed at gunpoint and had their equipment stolen. Previously, in August in Chicago, two journalists were robbed while reporting on a... robbery! Also in the US, at the end of February, a reporter for Florida TV was shot and killed while reporting on a previous murder. In Mexico, reporters investigating gangs are shot or attacked almost every day. Meanwhile, in Ecuador, a letter bomb was sent to a TV station at the end of March. Notably, a shocking incident occurred when a famous news anchor in the Philippines was shot and killed while broadcasting live. |
A mission to warn about the cruelty of war
In addition to war, conflict and disaster, 2023 will also witness many other instabilities that have a huge impact on journalism. For example, the ongoing political, security and economic crisis in Pakistan has put journalists there at extreme risk while doing their jobs. They are facing threats to their lives, kidnappings, attacks, violence and more.
According to a UNESCO report, 90 journalists were killed in the country between 2002 and 2022. This continued in 2023. In April this year, the director of the Bol Media Group was kidnapped on ethnic-related issues. Meanwhile, Muhammad Qasim, a veteran reporter for the Ummat newspaper, shared: “The consequences were swift and terrifying. I became a frequent target of threats. My life was forever changed by the headline of a newspaper article.”
Muhammad Qasim's story is no doubt echoed in other countries plagued by gang violence and corruption, such as Ecuador, Haiti and especially Mexico - which was once the most dangerous place for journalists before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The year 2023, with so many terrible events, has directly caused great pain and loss to the world of journalism in general. But no matter what, 2023 has shown and highlighted the value and role of true journalism. Journalists and war correspondents have bravely gone into war to help the world know what happened, no matter how terrible it was.
That also means that journalists are not only recording the truth, but also contributing to world peace and sustainability with their articles, images and films; helping the world understand that war, violence or climate disasters are not jokes, but extremely cruel!
Hai Anh
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