Israel-Hamas war

In a move that could spell trouble for news stations in the U.S., Iranian state-backed hackers interrupted European-based streaming services in the United Arab Emirates to air a report about the war in Gaza created by artificial intelligence.

Akbar Shahid Ahmed reports U.S. diplomat Brett McGurk is pushing a “controversial” plan to rebuild Gaza after the war.

More journalists have been killed in the first 10 weeks of the Israel-Gaza war than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire year, according to Committee to Protect Journalists data. By Dec. 20, at least 68 journalists and media workers had been killed since the Oct. 7 start of the conflict. Of those 68, 61 were Palestinian, four Israeli, and three Lebanese.

In both cases, Meta ended up reinstating the posts — one showing Palestinian casualties and the other, an Israeli hostage — on its own, although it added warning screens to both due to violent content. This means the company isn’t obligated to do anything about the board’s decision.

Press advocacy group cites reports suggesting killing of Reuters journalist was war crime.

An Israeli tank crew killed a Reuters journalist and wounded six reporters in Lebanon on Oct. 13 by firing two shells in quick succession from Israel while the journalists were filming cross-border shelling, a Reuters investigation has found. The two strikes killed Reuters visuals journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, and severely wounded Agence France-Presse photographer Christina Assi, 28, just over a kilometre from the Israeli border near the Lebanese village of Alma al-Chaab.

More than a dozen state attorneys general signed a letter directed toward media outlets like the New York Times and CNN, encouraging them to “follow the law” when it comes to coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict and ensuring they don’t give “material support to terrorists abroad.” The letter was spearheaded by Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and signed by 14 state attorneys general, and it was sent to the leadership of CNN, The New York Times, Reuters, and The Associated Press on Monday.

The first month of the Israel-Gaza war is now the deadliest month for journalists since the Committee to Protect Journalists began documenting journalist fatalities in 1992. As of Nov. 27, CPJ’s investigations showed at least 57 journalists and media workers were among more than 16,000 killed since the war began on Oct. 7 — with some 14,800 deaths in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank and 1,200 in Israel. This deadly toll is coupled with harassment, detentions and other reporting obstructions in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and beyond.

Digital disinformation and restrictions on photojournalists have complicated decision-making about the visual chronicle of the Israel-Hamas war.

While journalists’ access to the war in Gaza is limited, a flood of video from all sorts of sources documents what is — and isn’t — going on. At news organizations, sifting through material found online to determine what is real, and to unearth the sometimes unexpected clues that can be used to tie stories together, are increasingly important — and often emotionally overwhelming — jobs. Pictured: Wounded Palestinians sit in al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, after arriving from al-Ahli Hospital following an explosion there. The Hamas-run Health Ministry says an Israeli airstrike caused the explosion that killed hundreds at al-Ahli, but the Israeli military says it was a misfired Palestinian rocket. At news organizations, sifting through material found online to determine what is real, and to unearth the sometimes unexpected clues that can be used to tie stories together, are increasingly important jobs. The buildup of this capability was seen most prominently when global news outlets did in-depth analyses of video evidence to try to determine the disputed cause of a deadly Oct. 17 explosion at al-Ahli Hospital. (Abed Khaled/AP)

CNN, Reuters, The Associated Press and The New York Times discredited a pro-Israel watchdog group’s report related to Gaza photojournalists.

Colby Hall: “It’s been 30 days since Hamas launched a horrific attack on Israel, sparking a war and further destabilizing a historically dangerous area of conflict. At Fox News, one reporter has stood out thanks to his coverage: Trey Yingst, the network’s foreign correspondent. The war has captured global attention, and major networks and news outlets have dispatched some of their best journalists to cover it. There are a raft of incredible wartime journalists in the area doing world-class and life-risking reporting. But Yingst has stood out as the new face who just might be out-hustling them all.”

As of Nov. 7, the Israeli-Gaza war has become the deadliest month for journalists covering conflicts since the Committee to Protect Journalists started keeping such records in 1992. At least 37 journalists and media workers have been killed since the conflict began on Oct. 7, according to CPJ.

At least 24 journalists are among the more than 6,000 people who have been killed in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, according to the latest tally released Wednesday by the Committee to Protect Journalists. In addition to the steep toll the fighting has meant for civilians in the region, the conflict in Gaza has resulted in the deadliest stretch for journalists in Israel and the occupied territories since the committee began tracking journalist deaths in 1992, according to the organization’s emergencies director, Lucy Westcott.

A midshow spat between comedian Dave Chappelle and a fan. Division within the writers’ union after months of solidarity. Private discussions among Hollywood executives and stars about antisemitism. The entertainment industry is grappling with the same debates over Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks and Israel’s response that are playing out on college campuses, in offices and among friends.

News outlets, and readers, debate terms such as “terrorists” vs. “militants,” “invasion” vs. “incursion.”

CNN anchor Sara Sidner was confronted by an angry pro-Palestinian protestor while reporting Friday from the West Bank. As Sidner and her team were walking through the streets of Ramallah, where demonstrators have erupted in protest over what they say is Israel’s continued oppression and targeting of their people, a man ran up to the news anchor and began shouting at her. “You are genocide supporters,” the man shouted in her face. “You are not welcome here! Genocide supporters!” “F‑‑‑ CNN! F‑‑‑ CNN!” the man continued to scream, pointing his finger in Sidner’s face as a crowd of demonstrators gathered around her.

The Israel-Gaza conflict has taken a severe toll on journalists since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack against Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel  declared war on the militant Palestinian group, launching air strikes and ground raids on the blockaded Gaza Strip. The conflict has since widened to neighboring Lebanon. As of Oct. 19, at least 19 journalists were among the more than 4,000 dead on both sides.

Trey Yingst’s home has become his office. Yingst, a foreign correspondent who calls Israel his home when he isn’t traveling the globe for Fox News Channel, was in his apartment a little over a week ago when he got word of horrible things happening near the country’s border with Gaza. Many people would likely move away from that area but it’s Yingst’s job to move toward such hot spots. For a large number of U.S. viewers, Yingst, 30 years old, is one of the primary storytellers of the current conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization, and is likely to be so for the next several weeks, if not more.

Disney will donate $2 million to humanitarian groups working in Israel following the devastating terrorist attack by Hamas and subsequent military conflict engulfing Gaza and southern Israel, the company announced Thursday night.

CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon says the network has sifted through more than 1,000 videos of the Israel-Hamas war — and only 10% are usable. “There are many reasons why, but some of those reasons are directly tied to misinformation. They absolutely are,” McMahon said on Thursday. The broadcaster is investing in its own AI capabilities — and in combatting misinformation, she added.

The Israel-Hamas war is testing news media struggling with how to present the heinous casualties, combat misinformation on social media and face criticisms of bias.

The European Union is sending letters to top social media platforms, urging clearer policies and content moderation around videos and images related to the Hamas attacks on Israel last weekend. Thierry Breton, EU commissioner for internal market, posted a letter Tuesday to Elon Musk, the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, saying the EU has “indications that your platform is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU.” This has included “repurposed old images of unrelated armed conflicts or military footage that actually originated from video games,” the letter reads.

TV journalists face hurdles to getting on the ground — and dangers once there. Pictured: Raf Sanchez of NBC News reports from Israel.

On Monday night the safety team for X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, detailed what they say are recent actions taken to limit hateful and violent posts and combat misinformation following the Hamas attacks on Israel over the weekend. Among other things, the safety team said in a statement that it has removed “hundreds” of Hamas-affiliated accounts that were created after the attacks, and has “actioned tens of thousands of posts for sharing graphic media, violent speech, and hateful conduct.” (Adel Hana/AP)