Largest US journalist union rejects bid by progressive faction to demand cease-fire in Gaza war
Leading members of the country’s largest journalist union helped shoot down efforts by the progressive faction of the guild to release a statement in support of a cease-fire in Gaza, according to a report.
Members of the NewsGuild — which represents staffers at publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and Dow Jones — argued that journalists should not appear to take sides in the Israel-Hamas war because it could inhibit reporters from attending briefings or speaking to officials, or could even make them military targets, according to Semafor.
“Readers, viewers and listeners far from a conflict zone depend on credible journalists on the scene to provide fair and unbiased reports, including facts that may not align with an individual’s preconceptions,” the board of directors of The Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees, the NewsGuild local that represents Dow Jones, wrote in the letter obtained by Semafor.
“Taking public positions on news events we cover damages the confidence our members have earned through decades of impactful reporting in war zones and throughout the world, fueling the misconception that reporters are advocates rather than observers.”
The letter continued: “We believe the news we report from Israel, Gaza and throughout the world speaks for itself. There is nothing for The NewsGuild to add.”
Dow Jones and the Journal are owned by News Corp, the parent of the New York Post.
The letter comes amid charged emotions in the journalist community over the conflict, which erupted on Oct. 7, after Hamas terrorists slaughtered roughly 1,200 women, men, children and elderly people, and took over 200 hostages.
Last week, members of the union of New York Times tech employees — who are organized separately from the journalists — proposed a statement that would have condemned Israel for the deaths of children and journalists in Gaza, Semafor reported.
“Our members are increasingly … working in environments where perspectives normalizing the Israeli assault are endorsed as objectivity, and reporting on the collective punishment is marginalized, dismissed, or penalized as bias,” their proposal said. “We join thousands of our colleagues and millions of others around the world in calling, in no uncertain terms, for an immediate ceasefire.”
The New York NewsGuild discussed a proposal but ultimately rejected it, according to Semafor.
The NewsGuild did not immediately respond to requests for comment by The Post on Monday.
The union opted to form a “working group” to craft a statement for release next month that does not call for a cease-fire, and focuses on the “rights and protections that unionized workers have to express personal views without professional repercussions.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that since Oct. 7, over 50 media professionals have been killed.
More than 750 journalists from news organizations including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the Guardian signed an open letter condemning Israel’s “killing of journalists in Gaza” and relentless bombing of the region.
LA Times brass decided to ban some staffers from covering the Gaza war after they signed the open letter condemning Israel’s response to the massacre and falsely accusing Israel of a genocide against the Palestinian people.
Earlier this month, Times writer Jazmine Hughes “resigned” after signing the letter and denouncing her paper’s coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas.
Also this month, hundreds of anti-Israel protesters swarmed the Times’ headquarters after the newspaper’s editorial board refused to call for a cease-fire.
