You are here

  • Home
  • Committee to Protect Journalists appoints vice chair and 4 new members of board of directors

Committee to Protect Journalists appoints vice chair and 4 new members of board of directors

Committee to Protect Journalists appoints vice chair and 4 new members of board of directors
Clockwise from top left: Roula Khalaf, Lydia Polgreen, Maria Ressa, Jacqueline Simmons, and Alan Murray. (Committee to Protect Journalists)
Short Url

https://arab.news/vgwyj

Updated 08 December 2023
Arab News
Follow

Committee to Protect Journalists appoints vice chair and 4 new members of board of directors

Committee to Protect Journalists appoints vice chair and 4 new members of board of directors
  • The vice chair is Lydia Polgreen, an opinion columnist for The New York Times who previously was managing director of podcast studio Gimlet and editor-in-chief of HuffPost
  • The new board members are Roula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times; Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune Media; Maria Ressa, co-founder of Rappler; and Jacqueline Simmons, of Bloomberg
Updated 08 December 2023
Arab News
Follow

DUBAI: The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday appointed a vice chair and four new members to its board of directors.

The vice chair is Lydia Polgreen, an opinion columnist for The New York Times whose previous jobs include managing director of podcast studio Gimlet and editor-in-chief of HuffPost.

The new board members are Roula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times; Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune Media; Maria Ressa, co-founder of news website Rappler; and Jacqueline Simmons, editorial lead for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Bloomberg.

“They represent a tremendous range of knowledge and experience and share a fundamental commitment to press freedom and safety around the world,” said Jacob Weisberg, the chair of the committee.

Prior to her appointment as editor of the Financial Times, Khalaf served as its deputy editor from 2016 to 2020, during which time she oversaw various initiatives, editorial projects and a global network of more than 100 foreign correspondents.

Murray spent nearly 20 years at The Wall Street Journal and was president of the Pew Research Center before joining Fortune in 2015.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Ressa is known for co-founding Rappler, described as the Philippines’ leading digital-only news site. She has been arrested several times and faced political harassment during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s time in power.

Simmons currently oversees more than 30 Bloomberg bureaus in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Since her career began in 1996 she has held several news reporting and managerial roles at the company in Europe and the US.

Weisberg said: “All four new board members are not only accomplished journalists but passionate about the role that a free press plays in the world. We look forward to working with them to keep journalists free and safe.”

The CPJ is a non-profit, nongovernmental organization based in New York City that promotes freedom of the press and defends the rights of journalists.

Topics: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

Related

At least 31 journalists, media workers killed in latest war between occupied Palestine and Israel: CPJ
Media
At least 31 journalists, media workers killed in latest war between occupied Palestine and Israel: CPJ
Probe by rights groups, wire services finds Israeli attack on journalists in Lebanon was likely to have been intentional
Media
Probe by rights groups, wire services finds Israeli attack on journalists in Lebanon was likely to have been intentional

Union chiefs urge BBC staff to wear Palestinian flag colors or keffiyeh during ‘day of action’

Union chiefs urge BBC staff to wear Palestinian flag colors or keffiyeh during ‘day of action’
Updated 27 November 2024
Arab News
Follow

Union chiefs urge BBC staff to wear Palestinian flag colors or keffiyeh during ‘day of action’

Union chiefs urge BBC staff to wear Palestinian flag colors or keffiyeh during ‘day of action’
  • Protest on Thursday is a gesture of solidarity in support of demands for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages, organizers say
  • Some workers voice concerns that the action violates the broadcaster’s strict guidelines on impartiality and risks upsetting colleagues
Updated 27 November 2024
Arab News

LONDON: Britain’s Trades Union Congress has urged BBC staff and workers in other sectors to participate in a “workplace day of action” on Thursday by wearing the colors of the Palestinian flag or a keffiyeh.

Organizers said their call for action is intended as a gesture of solidarity and to support demands for a permanent ceasefire and end to the violence in Gaza, and the release of all hostages.

The TUC, an umbrella organization that represents 5.5 million members of 48 trade unions, suggested that employees “wear something red, green, black, or a Palestinian keffiyeh to visibly show solidarity” in their workplaces.

The National Union of Journalists informed its members of the protest last week and condemned the actions of the Israeli government, which it said have resulted in the deaths of at least 135 Palestinian journalists since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas last year.

“The NUJ is urging branches and chapels to show support on the day and amplify the union’s calls,” it said.

However, The Times newspaper reported on Wednesday that the campaign has drawn criticism, particularly from Jewish staff at the BBC who raised concerns that it violates the broadcaster’s strict guidelines on impartiality and risks upsetting colleagues.

A spokesperson for the TUC emphasized the need for sensitivity while participating in the protest.

“The day of action is focused on the TUC’s call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages and political prisoners,” the organization said.

“We are advising trade union members to undertake the action respectfully and to discuss with colleagues what action is best suited to their workplace.”

Topics: War on Gaza BBC UK Judaism Palestine

Related

BBC staff in open letter accuse broadcaster of pro-Israel bias
Media
BBC staff in open letter accuse broadcaster of pro-Israel bias
BBC ‘blocking’ major Gaza humanitarian appeal, insiders say
Media
BBC ‘blocking’ major Gaza humanitarian appeal, insiders say

Lebanon state media says Israeli fire wounds 2 journalists in south

Lebanon state media says Israeli fire wounds 2 journalists in south
Updated 27 November 2024
AFP
Follow

Lebanon state media says Israeli fire wounds 2 journalists in south

Lebanon state media says Israeli fire wounds 2 journalists in south
  • Video journalist Abdelkader Bay, two other visual journalists was reporting in Khiam when shots
Updated 27 November 2024
AFP

BEIRUT: Two journalists were injured by Israeli fire on Wednesday, state media said, while reporting from a border town where Israeli troops and Hezbollah fought fierce battles before a ceasefire took effect.
The truce came into force on Wednesday morning after more than two months of full-scale war, which itself followed nearly a year of cross-border exchanges of fire initiated by Hezbollah in support of ally Hamas over the Gaza war.
Both Israel and Lebanon’s army have warned people against returning to southern areas heavily hit by war, with Israeli troops still present in some border towns and villages.
“Israeli enemy forces in the town of Khiam opened fire on a group of journalists while they were covering the return of the residents and the Israeli withdrawal from the town, wounding two,” the National News Agency said.
Video journalist Abdelkader Bay told AFP he was reporting in Khiam with two other visual journalists when shots were fired and he was injured along with his colleague.
“We saw people checking on their homes and, at the same time, we were hearing the sounds of tanks withdrawing,” Bay said, adding the other wounded journalist was hospitalized.
“While we were filming, we realized there were Israeli soldiers in a building and suddenly they shot at us,” he said.
“It was clear that we were journalists,” he added.
Photographer Ali Hachicho was with Bay in Khiam when the incident happened but was not injured. They both said they saw a drone above the town before shots were fired.
“We saw military fatigues on the ground,” Hachicho told AFP, then he spotted Israeli soldiers nearby.
“When I put the camera to my eye to film them, I started hearing the sound of bullets between our feet,” he said.
Later on Wednesday, the Israel army set limits on nighttime movement in south Lebanon.

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon Israel Journalists

Related

US-made weapon used by Israel in strike that killed journalists, investigation finds
Media
US-made weapon used by Israel in strike that killed journalists, investigation finds
Renowned Lebanese journalist quits MTV over death threats by alleged Hezbollah supporters
Media
Renowned Lebanese journalist quits MTV over death threats by alleged Hezbollah supporters

Watchdog calls for international probe into alleged war crimes targeting journalists in Lebanon

Watchdog calls for international probe into alleged war crimes targeting journalists in Lebanon
Updated 27 November 2024
Arab News
Follow

Watchdog calls for international probe into alleged war crimes targeting journalists in Lebanon

Watchdog calls for international probe into alleged war crimes targeting journalists in Lebanon
  • Committee to Protect Journalists urges actions to ‘ensure journalist murders do not go unpunished’
  • Investigations found Israel ‘deliberately targeted’ compound that killed 3 journalists in southern Lebanon in October
Updated 27 November 2024
Arab News

LONDON: The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for an international investigation into “possible war crimes” after separate investigations by The Guardian and Human Rights Watch concluded that Israel deliberately targeted and killed three journalists in southern Lebanon.

“Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “Israel must be held accountable for its actions and the international community must act to ensure that journalist murders are not allowed to go unpunished.”

HRW and The Guardian revealed on Monday that the Oct. 25 airstrike in Hasbaya, southern Lebanon, was carried out using a US-supplied bomb guidance kit.

The attack killed Ghassan Najjar, Mohammed Reda, and Wissam Kassem — journalists and media workers affiliated with Hezbollah-linked outlets — and injured three others.

The strike targeted a chalet in a Druze-majority area, which had been used as a press hub for over 20 days by more than a dozen journalists.

The Israeli military initially claimed the attack targeted a “Hezbollah military structure” harboring “terrorists” but later stated the incident was under review after discovering journalists were among the victims.

Investigations found no evidence of military presence or activity at the site. Analysis of shrapnel, video footage, satellite images, and interviews with survivors suggested the attack was a deliberate strike on civilians, constituting an apparent war crime.

HRW noted: “Information reviewed indicates that the Israeli military knew or should have known that journalists were staying in the area and in the targeted building.”

Legal experts also pointed to potential US complicity due to its provision of the weaponry used in the strike.

The incident follows the Oct. 13 killing of Lebanese journalist Issam Abdallah in an Israeli tank strike, which also wounded six other journalists.

Independent investigations by Reuters, AFP, HRW, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders concluded the attack deliberately targeted journalists who were clearly identifiable.

Since the outbreak of hostilities in October, CPJ has confirmed the deaths of six Lebanese journalists.

In its Deadly Pattern report published before the war, CPJ found that Israel had failed to hold its military accountable for the killings of at least 20 journalists over the past 22 years.

Tuesday’s announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has brought a pause to hostilities, but media watchdogs will likely continue to demand accountability for attacks on journalists and press freedom violations.

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon Israel Journalists Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

Related

US-made weapon used by Israel in strike that killed journalists, investigation finds
Media
US-made weapon used by Israel in strike that killed journalists, investigation finds
Advocacy groups urge UN to investigate killing of Reuters video journalist in Lebanon
Media
Advocacy groups urge UN to investigate killing of Reuters video journalist in Lebanon

Saudi, UN bodies sign deal on media training

Saudi, UN bodies sign deal on media training
Updated 26 November 2024
Arab News
Follow

Saudi, UN bodies sign deal on media training

Saudi, UN bodies sign deal on media training
  • Saudi Media Forum Chairman Mohammed Al-Harthi said that the partnership is the forum’s first strategic initiative and will positively impact Saudi media
Updated 26 November 2024
Arab News

RIYADH: The Saudi Media Forum has signed a cooperation agreement with the UN Institute for Training and Research to promote sustainable development and empower individuals as well as media organizations.

It aims to advance media and training efforts in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030 and global sustainable development trends, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The agreement focuses on creating lasting impact through innovative training programs that combine academic knowledge with practical applications.

These programs will empower journalists and organizations, enhance professional awareness in both public and private sectors, and promote media literacy and innovative education.

The partnership will also support media organizations in achieving sustainable development goals through professional training, remote learning and educational resources.

Saudi Media Forum Chairman Mohammed Al-Harthi said that the partnership is the forum’s first strategic initiative and will positively impact Saudi media.

He added that Saudi Arabia, a nation of continuous renewal, must stay ahead of transformations to advance its development.

The forum continues to forge strategic partnerships with local and international entities to elevate Saudi media’s global standing while providing media professionals and organizations with the tools to create world-class content, the SPA reported.

 

Topics: Saudi Media Forum (SMF) UN Institute for Training and Research

Related

Saudi Media Forum opens registration for annual media awards
Media
Saudi Media Forum opens registration for annual media awards
Update Saudi media ministry launches initiative to showcase diverse lives of residents
Saudi Arabia
Saudi media ministry launches initiative to showcase diverse lives of residents

Israeli soldiers desecrate church in southern Lebanon in latest religious site incident

Israeli soldiers desecrate church in southern Lebanon in latest religious site incident
Updated 26 November 2024
Arab News
Follow

Israeli soldiers desecrate church in southern Lebanon in latest religious site incident

Israeli soldiers desecrate church in southern Lebanon in latest religious site incident
  • IDF soldiers are filmed performing a mock wedding inside an Orthodox church
  • Online users question continued support by Western Christians despite rise in attacks toward non-Jewish religious sites
Updated 26 November 2024
Arab News

LONDON: Israeli soldiers have come under fire after a video surfaced showing them desecrating a Christian church in southern Lebanon, marking the latest attack on a religious site amid rumors of an imminent truce in Lebanon.

The incident reportedly took place in Deir Mimas, near the border with Israel, and involved soldiers from the Israeli Defense Forces Golani Special Operations Unit.

The video, which began circulating widely online on Monday, depicts the soldiers performing a mock wedding ceremony inside the Orthodox church, sparking outrage across social media platforms.

The footage shows a male soldier, pretending to be a bride, wearing a hood and participating in a staged ritual led by another soldier using a disconnected microphone. The mock priest asked for the bride and groom’s names as the group laughed.

The scene escalates into chaos as another soldier interrupts, kneels before the “bride,” and simulates a dramatic objection, followed by soldiers piling on top of each other.

The timing of the video remains unclear, but its release has drawn condemnation online.

Karim Emile Bitar, professor of international relations at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, called it a blatant act of disrespect, posting on X: “Another video of Israeli soldiers desecrating a Church in South Lebanon and mocking the holy sacraments. Deafening silence of US and European politicians who spent the past 20 years masquerading as defenders of Eastern Christians, only to pander to Western Islamophobes.”

Other users voiced their anger, accusing Western Christians of ignoring Israeli acts of disrespect toward non-Jewish religious sites.

“It is incomprehensible that US Christians continue to blindly defend Israelis who desecrate the Church,” voiced another user.

This incident follows a string of troubling actions targeting cultural and religious landmarks by Israeli forces.

Earlier this month, the same IDF brigade allegedly vandalized two memorials in Hula, south Lebanon, using graffiti that read, “A good Shiite is a dead Shiite.”

In August, footage emerged showing IDF soldiers burning copies of the Qur’an in a Gaza mosque, drawing widespread condemnation and prompting an internal Israeli Military Police investigation.

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon Israel Church

Related

Israeli soldiers show Gaza destruction with ‘mocking’ musical background, sparking fresh social media backlash video
Media
Israeli soldiers show Gaza destruction with ‘mocking’ musical background, sparking fresh social media backlash
Israel faces backlash for defacing Lebanese war memorials
Media
Israel faces backlash for defacing Lebanese war memorials

Latest updates

Will ceasefire deal to end Israel-Hezbollah war achieve lasting peace for Lebanon?
Will ceasefire deal to end Israel-Hezbollah war achieve lasting peace for Lebanon?
Lebanon’s Hezbollah vows to continue resistance after ceasefire
Lebanon’s Hezbollah vows to continue resistance after ceasefire
Trump selects longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia
Trump selects longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia
FBI says bomb threats made against Trump nominees
FBI says bomb threats made against Trump nominees
Saudi development fund chief meets Congo’s finance minister
Saudi development fund chief meets Congo’s finance minister

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.