In the past six months, the Israeli military has targeted and killed over 125 Palestinian journalists in Gaza, constituting 10 percent of the journalist community there. 2023 marked the deadliest year for journalists worldwide in over a decade, with Israel responsible for over 75 percent of those killed, according to Palestinian journalists.
They have repeatedly appealed to media colleagues for action against the Biden administration's complicity in these killings, including calling for a boycott of the upcoming White House Correspondents' Dinner in solidarity.
Palestinian journalists in Gaza face detentions, interrogations, and torture by the Israeli military, while also enduring displacement and harsh living conditions. They accuse the Biden administration of directly supporting Israel's actions, implicating it in the targeting and killing of journalists. The United States media perpetuates anti-Palestinian narratives and ignores Israeli war crimes. The Correspondents' Dinner is nothing more than a celebration and endorsement of the administration's actions. That is not journalism. That is complicity.
Sign our petition to the White House Correspondents' Association demanding they cancel the stenography celebration with President Biden.
Dear White House Correspondents' Association,
The idea of celebrating the relationship between the White House Press Corps and the Biden administration at a time when the administration is directly contributing to a genocide is disgusting and immoral. In light of recent events and the ongoing genocide in Gaza, it is imperative to cancel the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 27th immediately.
In the past six months alone, the Israeli military has targeted and killed over 125 Palestinian journalists in Gaza, amounting to a devastating 10 percent of the journalist community in the region. Shockingly, 2023 marked the deadliest year for journalists worldwide in over a decade, with Palestinian journalists attributing over 75 percent of those killings to Israel.
Your colleagues in Gaza have repeatedly implored the global media community to take action against the Biden administration's complicity in these heinous acts. They have called for a boycott of the White House Correspondents' Dinner as a gesture of solidarity with the victims of these atrocities.
Palestinian journalists in Gaza endure unimaginable hardships: detentions, interrogations, torture, displacement, and harsh living conditions inflicted upon them by the Israeli military. They rightly accuse the Biden administration of directly supporting Israel's actions, making it complicit in the targeting and killing of journalists.
Furthermore, we condemn the perpetuation of anti-Palestinian narratives by the United States media and the willful ignorance of Israeli war crimes. The Correspondents' Dinner, in its current form, serves as nothing more than a celebration and endorsement of the administration's actions. Repeating the administration’s sinister lies is not journalism; it is collaboration.
Therefore, we demand that the White House Correspondents' Association cancel the upcoming event. We urge you to stand on the side of truth, integrity, and justice by refusing to participate in a celebration that disregards the lives lost and the suffering endured by Palestinian journalists in Gaza.
We implore you to take immediate action and demonstrate solidarity with our colleagues who risk their lives daily to report the truth. It is time to prioritize principles over pomp and circumstance.
Sincerely,