CPJ to Review Journalists Killed in Gaza List After Hamas Releases Militant Obituaries

The Committee to Protect Journalists (Center bias) has initiated a full review of its list of journalists killed in Gaza after The Times of Israel (Center) reported that newly released obituaries from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) included some of the named operatives. The story was not widely covered.

The Times' Report: On June 22, The Times referenced ongoing disclosures by the militant factions and said "several" of the names on CPJ's list had been included in them. It noted that the CPJ had already been "quietly" removing some names from its list in recent weeks. The Times said that at its peak, CPJ's list had 276 names of supposed journalists killed in Yemen, Lebanon, Iran, and Gaza, and as of June 22, it was down to 259. CPJ told The Times then, "We review all individuals once new information comes to light and will continue to remove any from our database deemed to have been engaging in combat."

CPJ's List & Review: Presently, CPJ's list has 209 names of media workers killed by Israel in Gaza. Announcing its review on Thursday, CPJ said it had already removed 20 names from its list, eight for being associated with the militant groups and 12 for "other reasons." CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said, "CPJ has always been clear that we do not include anyone in our data sets if there is evidence that they were engaging in combat or inciting imminent violence." The organization added that it has "repeatedly asked Israel for further information in every case documented of a journalist killed by the Israel Defense Forces" and that "in-person verification by researchers from outside Gaza has been impossible since the start of the war because Israel has refused access to the territory." It said its review should be completed by July.

Advisor Removed: On Monday, Nika Soon-Shiong, publisher of Drop Site News, said she has been removed from the board of the CPJ. Soon-Shiong blamed a May 27 article by Adam Kredo of the pro-Zionist Washington Free Beacon (Right) that called her out by name and said CPJ's board was "stacked with anti-Israel figures." Kredo described Drop Site News as "far-left" and highlighted commentary that described it as "extremist." Both the Free Beacon and the pro-Arab Middle East Eye (Left) covered Soon-Shiong's departure. Middle East Eye said when asked if she believed her axing had to do with the ongoing review, Soon-Shiong told the publication her "five year board term ended in June 2026."

Changing Definition: The Nation's (Left) Palestine correspondent Mohammed El-Kurd reported on June 28 that CPJ will "change its definition of who qualifies as a journalist to broadly exclude slain Palestinian and Lebanese journalists who worked for government-funded media outlets." He added, "The move was catalyzed to appease the right-wing Zionist rag The Free Beacon." Middle East Monitor (Not Rated) highlighted this in coverage.

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