On the occasion of the international day to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists, several unions defending the profession are calling for demonstrations on Saturday, November 2, to denounce the “targeting” of reporters killed in Gaza. The Israeli offensive launched more than a year ago in response to the Hamas attack on October 7 left tens of thousands dead. Mostly civilians, including journalists.
Anne Bocandé, editorial director of Reporters Without Borders, and Etienne Monin, senior reporter at franceinfo answer questions from students at Emile Combes college in Bordeaux.
Rose : “How do journalists manage to cover events in Gaza despite the danger while the inhabitants themselves are evacuated?”
In reality Rose, most residents of Gaza are not evacuated. Israel imposes a blockade on the entire Gaza Strip, the inhabitants do not have the possibility of leaving it, of escaping the war. This blockade also prevents international journalists from entering this territory. How do they manage to report, despite everything, the war in Gaza?
Étienne Monin, from the international editorial staff of France Info:
“The sound material is above all videos that we catch on X or on the accounts of journalists on site. We try to check things before using the sound of the videos.”
For about a year, we have had a network, we have lots of telephone numbers, doctors, teachers, French or English speaking, journalists, and we call them depending on the situation.
Etienne Moninsenior reporter at Radio France
We also call Arabic speakers. We had translators who helped us translate because communications are difficult. We ask people to tell us the situation, we try to cross-reference, to verify, but overall it’s a bit of their point of view, it’s their way of telling things.”
There are also Palestinian journalists who continue to work in Gaza, risking their lives. How many are there? “It is very difficult to be able to quantify the number of journalists still present in Gazaregrets Anne Bocandé of Reporters Without Borders. First of all because there are journalists today who are called non-professional, that is to say people who have taken on this mission of being able to inform outsiders about this war which is on a territory that is completely blocked. People who transmit reliable information from the territory of Gaza”.
As for the offices of professional journalists, many were destroyed, explains the editorial director of RSF. Despite everything, editorial staff continue their work on the ground. These are mainly the international channel Al-Jazeera and a few local media such as the independent Palestinian news site “+972”.
Mathilde : “What are the risks faced by photographers and journalists in Gaza?”
“The first risk, for journalists as for all civilians in Gaza, is the risk of being killed, of dying. To date, more than 140 journalists have been killed in Gaza for a little over a year, RSF, our organization, was able to document that more than 35 were killed while they were working.
There is also the risk of losing loved ones, of no longer having access to electricity, water, food. Or even having to move constantly to escape bombings.
Jeanne : “What measures are in place to protect journalists and photographers in Gaza?”
One of these measures, the main one in fact, consists of wearing signs which allow journalists to be identified as reporters, and not to be confused with combatants. In reporting, they therefore wear armbands and vests stamped “press”. But according to Anne Bocandé, this is not always enough: “Unfortunately, we were able to identify that sometimes, even when they were as such, identified, identifiable, they were in fact targeted, in any case prevented from being able to continue their information mission, which is contrary to international law since there are texts like the Geneva Conventions which specify that journalists must be protected in the exercise of their functions.”
Reporters Without Borders has also filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court for war crimes. She accuses Israel of intentionally targeting certain journalists.
Anna : “How are war reporters trained?”
At Radio France, of which France Info is a part, journalists who go to a war zone can follow specific training. “To learn how to behave in situations, to learn how to manage an injury from a shrapnel for example, or even from bullets, explains Etienne Monin. Where we learn to manage travel, to manage fixers. Then, we learn each time because each war is different. That is to say that there, in Gaza, it is a war by bombing. How to behave under bombardment? How do we try to keep ourselves as secure as possible? There is no such thing as 100% security in a war zone. On the other hand, we can try to minimize the risks.”
And then, when they return from a war zone, France Info journalists can, if they feel the need, benefit from psychological support.
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