THE BUILDING ALSO HOUSED HAMAS
MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE ASSETS
AS RICHARD WAS EXPLAINING TO US.
JOINING ME NOW IS JOEL SIMON.
GOOD MORNING, THANK YOU FOR
BEING WITH US.
OBVIOUSLY, IT IS UNJUST FOR US
TO THINK THAT SOMEHOW THE WORK
SPACES AND LIVES OF JOURNALISTS
ARE ANY MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE
WORK SPACES AND LIVES OF
CITIZENS BUT THERE IS SOMETHING
POTENTIALLY SINISTER ABOUT
ATTACKS THAT HAMPER JOURNALISTS
ABILITY AS RICHARD AND I WERE
JUST DISCUSSING TO BEAR WITNESS
TO WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING
AND HOLD POWER TO ACCOUNT.
>> YEAH, SINISTER BUT ALSO A
LEGAL QUESTION JOURNALISTS
HAVE -- THEY ARE PROTECTED UNDER
INTERNATIONAL LAW.
THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO REPORT ON
NEWS FOR THE EVENTS AND SO ANY
ACTION OR ACT TAKEN BY EITHER
SIDE OF THE CONFLICT BUT IN THIS
CONTEXT, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE
IDF THAT WOULD UNDERMINE OR
THREATEN THAT ABILITY IS
POTENTIALLY VIOLATION OF
INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW.
>> WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT?
THIS IS NOT ACTUALLY THE EASIEST
PART OF THE WORLD IN WHICH TO
REPORT BECAUSE WE DEPEND ON
INFORMATION THAT COMES FROM
HAMAS, THE PALESTINIAN
AUTHORITY, THE ISRAELI
GOVERNMENT, THE ISRAEL LEE
DEFENSE FORCES.
IN FACT, THE OTHER DAY THE IDF
GAVE INTERNATIONAL REPORTERS BAD
INFORMATION.
DON’T KNOW WHETHER IT WAS
INTENTIONALLY DISHONEST OR WRONG
BUT IMPLIED THEY WERE INVADING
GAZA.
THAT TURNED OUT NOT TO BE TRUE.
HOW DO WE CONDUCT OURSELVES WHEN
IT IS OUR JOB TO BEAR WITNESS.
WE’RE THERE SO OUR VIEWERS AND
LISTENERS UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT
OF WHAT IS GOING ON.
>> WELL, I MEAN, I THINK RIPCHAR
LAID IT OUT.
IT’S INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT AND
DANGEROUS TO REPORT BUT
JOURNALISTS HAVE A DUTY AND
OBLIGATION TO DO THAT WORK UNDER
VERY DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES AND
TO CONVEY THAT INFORMATION TO
THE WORLD BUT I JUST WANT TO
MENTION ONE THING.
THE ISRAELI AUTHORITIES ASSERTED
THIS BUILDING WAS SOMEHOW
INFILTRATED BY OPERATIVES FROM
HAMAS.
THEY PROVIDED ABSOLUTELY NO
EVIDENCE OF THAT AND HAVE A
TERRIBLE CREDIBILITY PROBLEM AS
INDICATED THERE IS A VERY
CREDIBLE ALLEGATION THAT THE IDF
MISLED INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISTS
ABOUT I’MMPENDING LAND INVASION
GAIN TACTICAL ADVANTAGE OVER
HAMAS.
THEY DENIED THAT BUT MANY
JOURNALISTS BELIEVE THAT
OCCURRED.
THAT CREATES A HUGE CREDIBILITY
PROBLEM AND WHEN THE IDF ASSERTS
HAMAS OPERATIVES WERE PRESENT IN
THIS BUILDING, I’M SKEPTICAL.
THE A.P. SAID THEY SAW NO
EVIDENCE OF THIS.
THEY’RE OBVIOUSLY MONITORING THE
SITUATION VERY CAREFULLY.
SO I THINK -- I THINK THE
ISRAELI GOVERNMENT, THE IDF
NEEDS TO COME CLEAN, WAS THERE A
MILITARY BASIS FOR THIS ATTACK?
IF NOT, THEN YOU’RE LEFT WITH
THE CONCLUSION THAT IT’S PART OF
A CONCERTED EFFORT TO INHIBIT
COVERAGE AND UNDERMINE THE
ABILITY OF JOURNALISTS TO REPORT
ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN GAZA
RIGHT NOW AND THAT’S INFORMATION
WE NEED.
>> THIS IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE
JOEL, YOU AND I ARE OLD ENOUGH
TO REMEMBER WHEN HAVING A FLAK
JACKET THAT SAYS PRESS OR
IDENTIFICATION AS THE MEDIA KEPT
YOU SAFE.
WHEN PARTISANS TO A CONFLICT
IMPLY THAT JOURNALISTS ARE
PARTICIPATING OR IN SOMEWAY NOT
OBJECTIVELY REPORTING FACTS ON
THE GROUND, WE’RE NOT ALL
OBJECTIVE ABOUT EVERYTHING BUT
WHEN REPORTING FACTS ON THE
GROUND LIKE RICHARD IS OR A.P.
REPORTERS WERE DOING, THAT PUTS
THOSE JOURNALISTS IN DANGER AND
WHAT IT DOES IS IT HAS A
CHILLING EFFECT ON US, RIGHT?
IT MAKES OUR BOSSES THINK MAYBE
WE DON’T GO THERE.
MAYBE WE PULL PEOPLE OUT AND
MAKES INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS
THINK I’M NOT SAFE IF I GO
THERE.
>> YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK RICHARD
SAID IT EXACTLY RIGHT.
BUT THIS IS NOT NEW.
PARTICULARLY THE CONTEXT OF THE
ISRAELI PALESTINIAN CONFLICT IS
ABOUT IMAGES.
IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE WAY
EVENTS WERE PORTRAYED.
OBVIOUSLY, DEPICTIONS AND IMAGES
OF THE DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY THE
ISRAELI ATTACKS IN GAZA
UNDERMINE THE ISRAELI CAUSE
WHILE THOSE IMAGES CAN CREATE
SYMPATHY FOR -- AND CAN BE USED
BY HAMAS.
SO JOURNALISTS ARE IN THE MIDDLE
OF THIS SAYING NO, THEY’RE BEING
MANIPULATED BUT HAVE AN
OBLIGATION TO DO THEIR VERY BEST
TO REPORT THE INFORMATION AS
ACCURATELY AND AS FAIRLY AS
POSSIBLE AND THE A.P. IS A MEDIA
ORGANIZATION WHICH WE ALL KNOW
TAKES THIS OBLIGATION VERY, VERY
SERIOUSLY, AND THAT’S WHY THE
DESTRUCTION OF THEIR FACILITY
THAT HOUSED THE A.P. AND AL
JAZERA UNDERMINES OUR ABILITY TO