~ At least 210 journalists killed ~
~ Almost 200 outlets across 50 countries join unprecedented action on Sept 1st ~
~ “At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed.” ~
Brussels, 1st September 2025 – In an unprecedented global action, almost 200 media outlets from 50 countries will simultaneously disrupt their front pages, homepages, and broadcasts to demand an end to the killing of journalists in Gaza and to call for international press access to the enclave.
For the first time in modern history, newsrooms across every continent will coordinate a large-scale editorial protest. The action – coordinated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the global campaigning movement Avaaz and the International Federation of Journalists – will take place on Monday, September 1. Print newspapers will run blacked-out front pages carrying a stark message. Broadcasters and radio stations will pause programming with a joint statement. Online outlets will black out their homepages or banners in solidarity. Editors, reporters and other journalists are also taking part too.
The action comes as the death toll of journalists in Gaza climbs to over 210 since October 7, 2023 – the deadliest conflict for reporters in modern times. Israel has simultaneously barred foreign media from entering Gaza for nearly two years, leaving Palestinian journalists to report under fire.
Thibaut Bruttin, RSF Director General said: “At the rate at which journalists are being killed in Gaza by the IDF, soon there will be no one left to keep the world informed. This is not only a war on Gaza, it is a war on journalism itself. Journalists are being killed, they are being targeted, they are being defamed. Without them, who will speak of famine, who will expose war crimes, who will denounce genocides? Ten years after the unanimous adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2222, we are witnessing, before the eyes of the entire world, the erosion of international law guarantees for the protection of journalists. The solidarity of news media and journalists around the world is essential. They must be thanked: it is the fraternity of reporters that will save press freedom, fraternity that will save freedom.”
Andrew Legon, Campaign Director at Avaaz, said: “It is very clear that Gaza is being turned into a graveyard for journalists for a reason. Israel’s far-right government is trying to finish the job in the dark, without the scrutiny of the press. If the last witnesses are silenced, the killing won’t stop – it will simply go unseen. That’s why we´re united with newsrooms around the world today to say: “We cannot, we will not, let that happen!”
Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), added: ” Every journalist killed in Gaza was someone’s colleague, friend, or family. They risked everything to tell the world the truth, and they paid with their lives. The public’s right to know has been deeply damaged as a result of this war. We demand justice and a UN International Convention on the safety and independence of journalists.”
The most recent attacks on journalists in Gaza occurred on August 25, when Israeli forces bombed the al-Nasser medical complex – a known hub for reporters – killing five journalists, including staff from Reuters and Associated Press. Two weeks earlier, six more journalists were killed in a single strike, among them Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif.
