IN the Paris headquarters of the public interest non-profit Reporters Without Borders, there is a grim tally board which charts the number of journalists and media workers that have been killed in the line of duty. This week, that number went up by one more, bringing the death toll to 28 in this year alone, with the killing of Al Jazeera Arabic's correspondent, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday. Shireen was shot in the head, allegedly by Israeli forces, as she was covering the forces' attack on a refugee camp. Her colleague, Ali Al-Samoudi, was also shot, but survived. Initially, Israel flat out refused to even consider culpability in her killing, alleging instead that Shireen had been killed by Palestinian crossfire. It was only after video evidence from Palestinian and Israeli journalists proved that Shireen had not been within the Palestinian firing range that Israel, responding to international condemnation, agreed to investigate the matter — something for which it notoriously doesn't put much effort into on the best of days.
Both journalists had been wearing safety vests and helmets which clearly identified them as press. So, there could have been no mistaking who and what they were. Unfortunately, words on a vest are just that — words — and they don't carry any meaning if the party looking at them down the scope of a rifle doesn't care whether the target is a soldier or a civilian. Never mind that targeting journalists goes against the Geneva Convention — treaties, conventions and laws also carry no meaning if states refuse to be a party to them. According to the Palestinian Journalists' Union, at least 55 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since 2000. Journalism groups have applied to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Israel's targeting of Palestinian journalists and are now attempting to add Shireen's name to the list to get justice for her. That justice may be a long time coming, because Israel does not recognise the jurisdiction of the ICC. How convenient.
Shireen's death and the quest for justice for her will no doubt provide fodder for politicians on both sides of the divide. But journalists are neither players nor pawns. Rather, we stand on the sidelines and bear witness to everything that happens — putting on the record the truth, no matter how bitter or banal. We give voice to the voiceless, hold the powerful to account, and provide a check-and-balance against those who would rather not be scrutinised. It isn't easy being a journalist. In undemocratic or less-democratic countries, there are more laws that suppress the freedom of the press than ensure that freedom. Those that have everything to hide give no succour to such freedoms and make it dangerous to be a journalist. "Troublesome" journalists are harassed, threatened, arrested, killed or simply disappear without a trace. And that's not even counting the general risks involved in covering conflict zones. Seven journalists have been killed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began less than three months ago. It is difficult to have press freedom when it isn't safe for the press to do their job. But without a free press, how easy it would be for all other freedoms to disappear, because there's no one to speak the truth and say it out loud for everyone to hear.