Dan Abrams Scrutinizes Journalist Death Toll in Gaza: ‘The Line Between Journalist and Collaborator Seems to Be Increasingly Blurred’
NewsNation host and Mediaite founder Dan Abrams scrutinized the Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) death toll for journalists and media workers in Gaza on Tuesday, arguing that “the line between journalist and collaborator seems to be increasingly blurred.”
On his show Dan Abrams Live, Abrams said:
Among the casualties in the conflict have been journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists is a prominent organization that’s claiming over 50 journalists have been killed in the conflict already. Now, I’ll explain in a moment why I have real questions about that number and why I think it’s actually a disservice to journalists. I care about this issue because I care about the true journalists on the ground doing the hard and dangerous work of reporting on this conflict, and I’m ready to hold Israel to account if they don’t take enough care to protect civilians and members of the media.
Today, Lebanon says Israeli airstrikes killed a Beirut-based reporter and her cameraman. Israel says they were targeting Hezbollah militants near the border who have been attacking Israel from within Lebanon. The death of the journalists are under review. If Israel is indeed responsible, the IDF needs to explain exactly what happened, why it happened, and how it happened.
But here’s my broader concern. In this conflict, and as we’ve seen repeatedly, the line between journalist and collaborator seems to be increasingly blurred, and we shouldn’t be grouping Hamas stooges in with legitimate journalists.
The Committee to Protect Journalists reports today that at least 53 journalists and media workers have been killed since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th, but it seems some were working for Hamas, and many others may have been killed not in their role as journalists. At least 12 work for Hamas-affiliated organizations. They count as journalists? Some others were Israelis. Their deaths are tragic, but many of them occurred inside and around targets during periods of heavy fighting. They are sadly part of the civilian toll that Hamas itself sought out when it built its infrastructure in civilian areas and when it sought to initiate a, quote, “permanent war with Israel.”
Former NBC News Middle East correspondent Martin Fletcher agreed with Abrams.
“As you said, Dan, who are the people? Who are they working for? And especially, were they working as journalists when they were killed?” he questioned. “The CPJ doesn’t make that clear at all.”
Abrams continued, “I think it’s dangerous. I’m gonna go as far as to say it’s dangerous for the Committee to Protect Journalists to be lumping all these people in together with one number because I think it undermines the seriousness of protecting journalists while they’re doing their work, as opposed to simply saying, ‘Well you know, this person had been engaging in some sort of information gathering at some point in their life.'”
According to the CPJ, at least 53 journalists have been killed in the Gaza conflict since Oct. 7: 46 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and three Lebanese. Eleven journalists on the list reportedly worked for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV and Radio.
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