LONDON: Palestinian reporter Shatha Hammad has been stripped of a journalism award over antisemitic comments found in her social media posts.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund announced last week that Hammad was one of the recipients of a Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism.
However, reports subsequently emerged about messages posted on Facebook and dating back to 2014 in which Hammad, a freelance journalist based in the West Bank, appeared to praise Hitler’s actions against the Jews. The two awards organizations said that this “suggests an endorsement of his ideology.”
In a statement released jointly this week, they said: “The Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund have today made the difficult decision to withdraw a journalism award conferred on reporter Shatha Hammad.
“The Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund stand opposed to hate speech of any description.”
They added that they are aware of a second post containing antisemitic language, also dated 2014, purportedly written by Hammad, though it notes that she strongly denies this post is hers.
“Both the Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund remain absolutely committed to protecting and promoting independent and accurate journalism, particularly of those whose voices are often marginalized or unheard,” the organizations added.
The historical posts by Hammad were first reported on Sunday by HonestReporting, a media-monitoring organization, which claimed that there were dozens of such comments on her social media.
“Her work was set to be promoted via a major social media marketing campaign and given the credibility of an international platform as guest speaker on a panel moderated by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour,” said HonestReporting CEO Jacki Alexander said after the announcement that the award had been withdrawn.
“Let’s be clear: This is not about denying a Palestinian journalist an award. This is about relegating unrepentant antisemites to the fringes of society and not rewarding them with international recognition. Antisemitism is on the rise globally and Shatha Hammad’s language only serves to incite more violence against Jews.”
Some people accused the awards bodies of negligence for failing to properly check Hammad’s background. Hillel Neuer, an international lawyer and human rights activist, called for Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO Antonio Zappulla to “personally condemn her hate.”
Hammad was one of three journalists due to receive a 2022 Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism. The other recipients, news fixer Kyaw Ye Lynn from Myanmar and American freelance investigative journalist Kenneth R. Rosen, will receive their awards as scheduled.
Hammad works as a freelance correspondent for Middle East Eye, a London-based online news site covering events in the Middle East and North Africa. Her articles, which mainly focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, gained international attention and recognition.
She was honored at the One World Media Awards in June 2020 with the New Voice Award for young journalists who have made a “substantial contribution to international journalism during the year.”
The Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism are named after an American freelance journalist killed in Sierra Leone while reporting for Reuters in 2000.
