About this episode
"You have to think about people who are sitting in war rooms and plan the next bombing on civilians populations who are actually in tents in one place that they cannot move (from)"Al Jazeera has been at the center of one of the deadliest assaults on journalists in modern history. Since October 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 270 journalists, including at least 11 from Al Jazeera. Despite losing colleagues, facing office bombings, and being banned from reporting inside Israel and the West Bank, Al Jazeera continues its coverage of Gaza.In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, Ashfaaq Carim speaks with Salah Negm, the head of news for Al Jazeera English. With more than 45 years of experience in international journalism, Negm reflects on what it means to cover a genocide, how Israel targets reporters to silence coverage, and why eyewitness accounts remain essential.Negm discusses:The pressures and dangers faced by his newsroomThe killings of Shireen Abu Akleh and other Al Jazeera journalistsHow Western media often relies on Israeli narrativesWhy objectivity is misunderstood and misused in journalismAl Jazeera’s process for recruiting and protecting local reportersThis is a rare inside look at how a newsroom endures grief, censorship, and political attacks while trying to hold power to account amidst an unfolding genocide in Gaza. Editors Note: This episode was filmed on August 21st, before Monday deadly by Israel that killed another Al Jazeera Journalist, Muhammad SalamaChapters:0:00 Intro3:40 Israel’s war on journalism7:00 Media bias and objectivity10:50 Why Al Jazeera hires locals15:30 Fear and character attacks19:00 Press freedom under threat23:40 Gaza reporting under siege29:00 Covering genocide in real time47:20 Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing51:00 Journalists killed in Gaza1:00:00 Bans, raids, and censorship1:08:00 Future of journalism in war
