On Sept. 1, more than 250 news outlets spanning across 70 countries took part in a blackout to protest the killing of journalists in Gaza, giving their followers a taste of what a world without their work could look like. This resulted in blacked out front pages, blacked out webpages and interruptions to news radio and television stations with the message, “At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed.”

News outlets participating in the blackout made demands for the protection of Palestinian journalists, foreign press access to the Gaza Strip, the evacuation of Palestinian journalists seeking to leave and action from the United Nations to hold the Israeli army accountable for its killing of Palestinian journalists.

News outlets participating in the blackout were based in over 70 different countries, such as France, the United Kingdom, Taiwan and Germany.

Many sources in America remained silent, as notable names such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times were not reported to have taken part, as well as local sources such as The New Haven Register and West Haven Voice.

“I feel like it should be more widespread, honestly,” said Myatt Center Diversity Peer Educator and PRIDE Executive Assistant Leo LeBlanc. “People like to say it’s a very small thing, but it’s also something that’s not really discussed.”

Coordinated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the blackout was sparked by two recent attacks in August.

The first occurred on Aug. 11, which killed a crew of six reporting from Al Jazeera in a targeted strike, one of whom was reporter Anas al-Sharif.

“Killing Anas al-Sharif is an inhumane attempt at destroying the record of the war crimes occurring in Gaza,” said sophomore and PRIDE treasurer Anne Lee. “With other symbols of peace and communication heading towards Gaza, it makes me fear for their lives as well.”

The latest of the attacks occurred on Aug. 25, in which two back-to-back strikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis killed five reporters.

The first killed cameraman Hussam al-Masri of Reuters in the middle of a live transmission. The second killed other international journalists associated with Associated Press (AP), including Mariam Dagga, Reuters, including Moaz Abu Taha and Hatem Khaled, who was the only reporter wounded rather than killed in this attack, and Al Jazeera.

Shortly after the attack, AP Executive Editor and Senior Vice President Julie Pace and Reuters Editor-In-Chief Alessandra Galloni wrote a letter to Israeli officials, calling for an explanation of the strikes.

“We are outraged that independent journalists were among the victims of this strike on the hospital, a location that is protected under international law,” they wrote. “These journalists were present in their professional capacity, doing critical work bearing witness. Their work is especially vital in light of Israel’s nearly two-year ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza.”

As of Aug. 25, over 220 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, with the latest attacks bringing the highest reported death tolls in a single month.

The targeting of journalists attempting to report on the Israel-Palestine conflict raised concerns about the quality of information coming from the territory going forward, as well as Israel’s motives.

“This isn’t just a war against Gaza,” said RSF general director Thibaut Bruttin on their website.
“It’s a war against journalism.”

Meanwhile, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer argued in an international press briefing that not all of the journalists caught in the crossfire were as innocent as the media was making them out to be.

“Of course journalism is a noble profession,” said Mencer. “But many journalists who have reported from Gaza, so-called journalists, are simply terrorists with a press vest on.”

Hope still remains among news outlets that participated in the blackout, as well as the UNH student body, that the deaths of Palestinians would not be in vain, but rather highlight the importance of journalists amidst this uncertain time.

“We need to continue their mission in advocating for the victims of this genocide,” said senior psychology major Katrina Fisher. “It is more important now than ever for all eyes to be on Gaza.”