Foreign press urges boycott of Israeli army footage (AFP)

[EFerrari]

Foreign press urges boycott of Israeli army footage
Agence France-Presse
Jerusalem, January 15, 2009

The Foreign Press Association on Thursday urged its members to boycott Israeli army photos and video footage to protest at the shelling of a media building in Gaza City that wounded two cameramen.

The move was also prompted by the Israeli army's (IDF) refusal to allow reporters to enter the territory to cover the conflict in which some 1,100 people have been killed in the largest Israeli offensive ever launched on the Hamas-run enclave.

"The FPA rejects and condemns the IDF policy of controlling the news coverage of the events in Gaza," said the group -- which represents foreign media outlets in Israel and the Palestinian territories, including AFP.

"By preventing the entry of foreign journalists into Gaza and bombing buildings housing offices of international media -- contrary to IDF assurances that these media buildings would be safe -- the IDF is severely violating basic principles of respect for press freedom," it said.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=3ecff90d-5dff-400b-8dfb-7534879121fa&&Headline=Boycott+of+Israeli+army+footage+urged

[cali]

1. that's a good idea

hope it happens.

[EFerrari]

2. I wrote to Anderson Cooper's show last week about using IDF footage.

Because it wasn't really raw footage. It had titles all over it, like "terrorists" with arrows pointing to locations.

You'd think a producer of a news show would hesitate the least little bit before running something like that on a split screen for minutes at a time.

[pelsar]

4. whats preferred....

journalists are being targeted?....as they are "loose cannons' on a battlefield, especially one with booby traps......or they have to be "babysat", which can be very resource consuming.....they're interests and the army that they are with have conflicting interests......

especially in the beginning when the army doesnt really control the battlefield and doesnt really know what its up against.....

I understand the need for freedom of the press and in fact demand that the press be free, but the army doesnt have to risk soldiers lives all the time to protect that freedom (i would not be interested in getting killed for an APs journalist need to make his deadline)......

that said i'm glad they are now entering gaza

[EFerrari]

7. IDF is bombing their offices. Offices are not loose canons, they're offices.

[pelsar]

10. i wouldnt know..

nor would i have the gall to actually believe that i know whats actually going on in a war zone, in a specific battle

[EFerrari]

14. Some of the journalists in Gaza still have working cell phones

which is surprising to me, anyway. I think one of them was going to take his wife in to the hospital today because she's about to deliver and they can't take a chance of her needing help when they can't make it to a hospital. I hope there's still a hospital for them to go to.

[cali]

8. I believe that freedom of the press is vital

and I believe that Israel is trying to control the message out of Gaza. They can't, of course, but that's what's happening. Let journalists take their chances. Hell, much as I disliked the embedded journalist crap in Iraq, that was better than what's been going on in Gaza.

[pelsar]

9. israel cant control the message....

so that makes the censorship point mute.....for that matter hamas is also trying ....both of which are to be expected in war zone. When journalists take their chances in the I/P conflict and get killed we all know who gets the blame......i believe they missed the first week of the air war and the first week of the ground war...but they're all alive and some are now in gaza

[cali]

11. Israel can keep some information out of the press by not allowing it to do its job

and no, I don't believe the press has been allowed into Gaza.

[pelsar]

13. they 've been there for the last 3 days or so....(i think a bit more)

seen the footage of the damage as well as some footage of the journalist getting shot at etc.....

[EFerrari]

15. Those people seem to have already been in Gaza before the bombing began.

[azurnoir]

19. Those are the offices that got bombed

the news we get now from other than IDF sources will be from reporters embedded with IDF which I guess will be independent so to speak.

[azurnoir]

18. They have been allowed in as

as embedded reporters with IDF like embedded reporter with US troops in Iraq

[Idealism]

3. While I welcome to support for a boycott, I doubt it will change much

The Western media is owned by the same interests who wish to see this violence continue.

[EFerrari]

6. That's true, but whoever continues to use that material is giving up

the appearance of professionalism. In other words, Nic Robertson is laying himself open to the question, why are you using IDF footage in your reports when the IDF is bombing journalists in Gaza?

[azurnoir]

5. Now if maybe they could just add Mark Regev to that.

along with maybe Dana Perino

[Barack_America]

12. Hopefully they will also repeatedly point out why they have no footage.

i.e. that while they would like to inform people about the situation in Gaza, Israel is preventing them from doing so.

[EFerrari]

16. I sent the link to Greg MItchell at Editor & Publisher. Maybe he'll put it out, too.

[EFerrari]

17. A few more details at link:

snip

Two journalists were moderately wounded when Israeli fire hit a Palestinian media centre that works with international media and is located two floors above the Reuters news agency.

TV footage showed the wounded men in flak jackets marked “press” being rushed to the hospital.

It was not clear if the building was hit by ground fire or by aircraft.

Bullets also flew into the office of The Associated Press in another building several hundred metres away, entering a room where two staffers were working. No one was wounded.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2009/01/15/8036136.html

[ProgressiveMuslim]

20. Err... gays and lesbians have legal rights though!!!!!