The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today marked World Press Freedom Day (May 3) by calling on American journalists and media outlets to support and speak out for their colleagues in Gaza targeted for assassination by the Israeli government.
CAIR also condemned the Israeli government’s censorship of journalists.
SEE: World Press Freedom Day 2025 | UNESCO
Reporters in Gaza bear witness and suffer the consequences
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found that a record number of journalists were killed worldwide in 2024. Israel is responsible for nearly 70 percent of that total.
SEE: Deadliest year on record for journalists; 70% killed by Israel – Committee to Protect Journalists
Reporters Without Borders said today: “Palestine has become the world’s most dangerous state for journalists, as almost 200 reporters were killed in six months in Gaza by the Israeli army over the first 18 months of war, at least 42 of whom were likely killed due to their work. In the West Bank, where journalists were already the victims of abuses by both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli occupying forces, Israeli pressure has intensified since 7 October 2023, with an increase in arrests of reporters and obstructions to their work.”
In a statement, CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said:
“Over the past two years of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, we have seen more than 170 journalists killed by Israeli forces. As we mark World Press Freedom Day, we call on American journalists and media outlets to speak out for and amplify the work of their colleagues in Gaza who continue to bravely do their job despite the constant threat of assassination.
“We strongly condemn the Israeli occupation for systematically murdering journalists and their families in Gaza and for censoring media outlets in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
“The Palestinian journalists evading terminator drones while broadcasting video of Israel’s genocide to the world are true heroes, and journalists here in America have a duty to stand up for them.”
CAIR has previously condemned the targeting of journalists by the Israeli government.
CAIR Calls on U.S. Media to Air Video of Journalists Burning Alive After Israeli Tent Bombing
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com