Reuters Scraps Award For Local Palestinian Journalist After Pro-Hitler Comments Revealed
This week, the Thomas Reuters Foundation rescinded the Kurt Schork Prize for International Journalism from Palestinian journalist Shatha Hammad after a media watchdog group revealed her social media posts praising Adolf Hitler.
The foundation released a statement announcing the “difficult decision” on Tuesday “following the discovery of a social media post on Hammad’s Facebook feed that appears to quote Hitler – which, in doing so, suggests an endorsement of his ideology.”
“The comment appeared in 2014. The Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund stand opposed to hate speech of any description. We have therefore taken this unusual step in order to protect the integrity of the Kurt Schork Awards, established to recognise and celebrate the courageous and brilliant reporting of conflict, corruption and injustice from journalists around the world, who risk their lives daily to speak truth to power. We are aware of a second Facebook post using extreme anti-Semitic language that purports to be drafted by Hammad, also dated 2014,” the statement added.
Pro-Israel media watchdog group HonestReporting uncovered the posts on early this week, which the group claimed were part of a trend of Hammad sharing “violent and antisemitic” rhetoric online. Hammad since denied the posts were hers.
Meet Shatha Hammad, a Palestinian journalist with Al Jazeera & Middle East Eye. She just won a @Reuters award. She also loves Hitler & glorifies terrorism.
Award judges: @MeeraSelva1 @angusreuters @lindseyhilsum
Advisors: @SamanthaJPower @amanpour
Ceremony: Oct. 26-27, London https://t.co/eiubltgVmb pic.twitter.com/DLLc7uJaLF
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 16, 2022
“The posts that HonestReporting uncovered included dozens of violent and antisemitic clarion calls, such as one in which she eulogized the “martyrs” who killed five “settlers” during the 2014 Jerusalem synagogue massacre where two Palestinian terrorists attacked worshipers with axes, knives and a gun,” reported the watchdog, adding:
In several posts in 2014, Hammad, who currently works for Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera, signed off her comments using the nickname “Hitler” and joked that she was “in agreement” with the Nazi leader who oversaw the mass extermination of six million Jews during the Holocaust.
Thomas Reuters noted Hammad’s denial in their statement, but stuck by their decision:
However, Hammad strongly denies that this post is hers. Both the Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund remain absolutely committed to protecting and promoting independent and accurate journalism, particularly of those whose voices are often marginalised or unheard.
We also condemn attempts to control or silence these voices. As such, we will continue our efforts to strengthen free, independent and pluralistic media around the world, so critical to upholding free, fair and informed societies. Now in their 21st year, the Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism are named in honour of American freelance journalist Kurt Schork who was killed in Sierra Leone while on assignment for Reuters in 2000.
