The General Supervisor of Official Media in the State of Palestine, Minister Ahmed Assaf, inaugurated on Tuesday the virtual masterclass on "Challenges of Verification and News Gathering in Conflict Zones (Palestine as a Case Study)", organized by the Union of OIC News Agencies (UNA) in collaboration with "Viory", the leading Video News Agency.
The masterclass witnessed the participation of more than 200 media professionals from member news agencies and media outlets in OIC member states.
Minister Assaf launched the masterclass with a speech expressing his gratitude to UNA and "Viory" for organizing the training program.
He emphasized that choosing the topic of the masterclass is very important at this time, especially in light of the recent Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the genocidal war that has spared no one, targeting all segments of the Palestinian population, particularly journalists.
Minister Assaf revealed that since the start of the recent Israeli aggression on Gaza less than 5 months ago, more than 120 Palestinian journalists have been directly killed.
“This targeting reflects Israel's desire to obscure the truth, commit all these crimes silently, and terrorize other journalists who have not been targeted to prevent them from fulfilling their journalistic duties according to the national and professional interests of this noble profession.”
Assaf noted that the Palestinian official media has lost 11 martyrs, most of whom were targeted with their families.
He mentioned among these martyred journalists, Mohammed Abu Hatab, who was directly targeted and his house specifically bombed in an attempt to silence him because he excelled in conveying the message of the Palestinians, their suffering, and the magnitude of the crimes committed in Gaza.
The Palestinian minister stressed that Israel's targeting of journalists did not start on October 7, as the main headquarters of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation in Ramallah was destroyed more than 20 years ago by Israeli aircrafts and tanks.
He confirmed that despite the magnitude of these crimes and the high price we paid, Palestinian journalists succeeded in carrying out their work and conveying the message of Gaza and the message of Palestine to every corner of the world.
He added that at the beginning of the aggression, Israel succeeded through its relations and control over some major media outlets, in promoting its narrative. “However, when Palestinian journalists took the initiative and began broadcasting news of the aggression against the Palestinian people and the killings of children and women, we succeeded in conveying this image and voice to everywhere in the world.” The Palestinian minister stressed that the conditions under which Palestinian journalists work are difficult and complex.
He stressed that there is no country in the world where journalists are targeted directly except in Palestine. He pointed out that Israel knows that it is above the law and that it will escape any accountability, which is why it continues to commit its crimes.
He highlighted a series of challenges faced by Palestinian journalists, including the challenge of Israeli occupation, targeting journalists with killings, injuries, and arrests, preventing them from movement and accessing conflict areas, restricting their access to the occupied territories in Israel, and closing the offices of Palestinian official media in Al Quds.
He explained that Israel did not stop at these crimes but also worked to tarnish the image of Palestinian journalists by attaching some falsified charges.
“When martyr Mohammed Abu Hatab, one of the most important reporters for Palestinian television, was assassinated, the Israeli media portrayed the operation as the killing of a disguised Palestinian terrorist in journalist attire”.
Minister Assaf emphasized that the magnitude of the challenge and the willpower of Palestinian journalists are greater than to be affected by all these Israeli crimes, which is why you see this large flow of news coming from Gaza, the West Bank, and all of Palestine.
He called on all international media institutions to raise their voices to expose these crimes, hold the perpetrators accountable, and push for allowing Palestinian journalists to work safely, with security for their lives, homes, and families, as is the case everywhere in the world.
On his part, UNA Acting Director-General, Mohammed Abd Rabbo Al-Yami, clarified that the masterclass comes within the framework of the Union's efforts to shed light on the difficulties faced by journalists in general and Palestinian journalists in particular, as they perform their professional duties under the conditions imposed by Israeli occupation and its continuous war on the Gaza Strip.
He added that the masterclass comes within the Union's efforts to confront media misinformation and provide journalists with the necessary skills to identify and combat the spread of fake content, indicating that the Union has launched a special platform to combat media misinformation, especially in news related to the Palestinian issue. Al-Yami extended his utmost respect and admiration for the sacrifices of Palestinian journalists and their efforts to convey the truth.
Al-Yami expressed sincere gratitude to the "Viory" agency for its keenness to share its expertise with news agencies in OIC member states.
In a live intervention from Rafah City in southern Gaza, Sami Abu Salem, a correspondent for the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA), reviewed a number of challenges faced by Palestinian journalists in carrying out their professional duties.
He pointed out that one of the prominent challenges is the inability of journalists to settle in a specific area, noting that he personally has been displaced more than 7 times.
Abu Salem affirmed that WAFA Agency focuses on accuracy and relies on official sources, primarily the Palestinian Ministry of Health, in publishing the numbers of victims and martyrs.
The Palestinian journalist Fuad Abu Jarada also discussed in a field intervention the difficulties faced by Palestinian journalists, including balancing their family and professional lives, as well as the challenges of mobility and internet access.
Following that, Marie Sakellariou, Head of Intake Head of Verification at "Viory" Agency, and Zois Bekios Zannikos, Senior Verification Editor at "Viory", presented an overview of "Verification and News Gathering Challenges in Conflict Areas", with a focus on the current situation in Gaza.
They addressed the safety of the team, verification mechanisms, and ensuring the credibility of the news. They also discussed a range of challenges faced by the "Viory" team in carrying out their work in Gaza, where they were injured but continued their work despite the difficulties and despite losing family members.
They discussed the ethics of journalism in conflict areas, emphasizing the necessity for journalists to avoid conducting interviews with prisoners of war.
They also addressed a number of technological tools used to verify the locations of images and videos to ensure their authenticity.
Additionally, they discussed the challenges arising from artificial intelligence and the content created through AI applications, providing some suggestions and solutions for verifying this content.
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