After Anas al-Sharif: A Call For Truth, Clarity And Accountability

After the assassination of Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif and more than 252 of his colleagues in Gaza, we at Almost co-authored an open letter with fellow journalists around the world, calling for truth, accountability and an end to the media’s complicity in Israel’s genocide.

Since its release, hundreds of journalists have signed. Many also left messages — words that capture what this moment means for our profession and why we can’t stay silent any longer.

These are their voices. Together, they form a shared demand: for journalism that refuses neutrality in the face of injustice and for an industry that must finally reckon with its failures.

What signatories said

Media colleagues, please stop using the “Israel-Palestine” war. It’s not a war in which both forces they have an army, military and they fighting each other in the field under military strategy and tactics. It’s a deliberate genocide. GENOCIDE, clear since the beginning.

– Ángela Rodríguez, Journalist & Communications Specialist, independent consultant working for human rights and journalism organizations, Spain

I call all my fellow journalists to have the courage to call this a genocide. We all see what is happening, do you want people to trust our outlets? Then let's report on the truth and not let Israeli propaganda hide blatant war crimes. I hope reporters and editors have the courage to have uncomfortable conversations in newsrooms and stand up for humanity. If we fail Palestinians in our reporting, we're all losing.

– Camille Padilla Dalmau, Journalist & Founder, 9 Millones, Puerto Rico

The mass killing of journalists in Gaza gives the lie to the many countries in the world that claim to care about press freedoms, but have done little except watch with folded arms as more journalists have been killed in Gaza than anywhere else in our recent history—all the more appalling as this is in the services of enforcing a blackout on coverage of the ongoing genocide of Palestinians.

– Brian Hioe, Founder & Editor-in-chief, New Bloom, Taiwan

From state to corporate power, from the press to the people, everyone shapes today’s information reality. Silence — or retreating to the “middle ground” and looking away from the brutality of truth — only perpetuates the oppression of the powerful, as the world watches Israel continue its genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza. Peace, rights, and dignity are values that bind us across borders. We should all speak of Gaza with honor and responsibility.

– Yoyo Chang, Journalist Intern, Almost, Taiwan

From Journalists, To Journalists: Stop Helping Israel Cover Up The Killing Of Our Colleagues

Every time unverified military claims are repeated without scrutiny, every time context is stripped away, every time power is left unnamed, the press becomes a participant in oppression rather than a check on it.

AlmostKassy Cho

As a scholar and educator committed to the integrity of journalism and its democratic role, I fully endorse this letter. The killing of Anas al-Sharif, one of over 180 Palestinian journalists reported dead since October 2023, is part of a documented pattern of threats, disinformation, and targeted violence. Although al-Sharif had reported direct threats, his father was killed, and he was the subject of a sustained campaign labelling him a combatant, these crucial facts were largely missing from coverage of his death. In specific instances, several major news outlets, including Reuters, CNN, and The New York Times, have published unverified Israeli military claims about Palestinian journalists with little scrutiny or context. This practice not only risks legitimising violence against reporters but also undermines public trust. Ultimately, this is not an issue of bias, but of professional rigour. When verified facts are omitted, context is stripped from headlines, and local journalists' voices are marginalised, the industry fails its own standards. The measures proposed in this letter—greater editorial transparency, a cautious approach to official sources, and clearer contextual framing—are vital to protect journalists and uphold journalism's role in democratic accountability.

– François Nel, Associate Professor of Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Lancashire, UK

From a country whose people know very well what genocide is, from the bottom of my heart I say — Free Palestine and the Palestinian People.

– Rijad Ahmetović, Journalist & News Anchor, Radiotelevizija Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine, Bosnia and Hercegovina

Israel's targeted killing of 269 journalists in 22 months shows a deliberate intent to hide the war crimes and humanitarian abuses in Gaza.

– Ioan Stoleru, Reporter, Scena9, Romania

UK media, particularly the BBC, has miserably failed in properly exposing Israel’s atrocities.

– Samira Kawar, Retired Journalist, Former Middle East Editor at Argus Media, UK

International reporters are banned from Gaza — which is itself wrong — and so we rely on journalists like al-Sharif, who are dying alongside civilian medics and other aid-related workers. We should stand against this.

– Kris Lih, Reporter, Domino Theory, Taiwan

Do what you can, no matter how big or small, everything matters and everything counts.

– Lela Vujanic, Researcher & Journalist, Independent, ex-Yugoslavia

This open letter is only the beginning.

We’re continuing to build on it, developing a new framework for ethical, decolonized reporting grounded in truth, clarity and accountability.

If you’re a journalist who believes in that mission, you can still add your name to the open letter.

Because until journalism changes, the next killing will already have been written.