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** OPINION
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** Five more journalists were killed covering the war in Gaza
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Freelance journalist Mariam Dagga, 33, who had been working with the Associated Press and other outlets during the Gaza war, shown here in June of 2024. Dagga was one of five journalists killed Monday by Israeli military strikes. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Five journalists were among the 20 people killed Monday when two Israeli strikes hit a hospital in Gaza. The journalists worked for media outlets including The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera.

The strikes may have been a tactic known as “double-tap” — meaning one strike followed by another meant to target first responders, rescuers and journalists, among others.

The Associated Press reported ([link removed]) , “Two strikes hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in quick succession, medical officials said. In videos, journalists and rescue workers can be seen rushing to the scene of the first one, before a massive explosion hits an exterior staircase where journalists are often stationed.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued what The New York Times described ([link removed]) as a “rare statement of contrition about the strike.” Netanyahu said, “Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians. The military authorities are conducting a thorough investigation. Our war is with Hamas terrorists. Our just goals are defeating Hamas and bringing our hostages home.”

In a letter to Netanyahu and other Israeli officials ([link removed]) , AP executive editor and senior vice president Julie Pace and Reuters editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni demanded a “clear explanation for the airstrikes.” They added, “We are outraged that independent journalists were among the victims of this strike on the hospital, a location that is protected under international law. 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.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists now reports ([link removed]) that at least 197 journalists have been killed covering the war that is nearly two years old. The New York Times’ Isabel Kershner, Aaron Boxerman and Ameera Harouda wrote, “The Israeli government has barred international journalists from entering Gaza to freely report throughout the war. That has left much of the world relying on Palestinian journalists — reporting amid bombardment and hunger — to understand the situation in Gaza.”

It has become an incredibly dangerous task.

Among the reporters killed Monday:
* Mariam Dagga was a visual journalist who freelanced for the AP and other news outlets during the war. In a statement, the AP said, “We are doing everything we can to keep our journalists in Gaza safe as they continue to provide crucial eyewitness reporting in difficult and dangerous conditions.”
* Hussam al-Masri was a cameraman for Reuters, which said in a statement, “We are devastated to learn of the death of Reuters contractor Hussam al-Masri and injuries to another of our contractors, Hatem Khaled, in Israeli strikes on the Nasser hospital in Gaza today.”
* Mohammad Salama was a cameraman for Al Jazeera, which has had 10 of its journalists killed in the war. In a statement, Al Jazeera condemned the killing and said that Israeli forces had “targeted and assassinated journalists as part of a systematic campaign.”
* Ahmed Abu Aziz was a freelance journalist who contributed to Middle East Eye ([link removed]) . David Hearst, the editor-in-chief of Middle East Eye, said in a statement, “Israel cannot hide the truth of the genocide it is waging in Gaza, so it is killing as many of those who record each strike as it can.”
* Moaz Abu Taha was a freelance journalist who occasionally contributed to Reuters.

Journalism groups condemned the attacks.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement ([link removed]) , “The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Israeli strikes that killed five journalists in Nasser hospital in southern Gaza and calls for the international community to hold Israel accountable for its continued unlawful attacks on the press.”

CPJ regional director Sara Qudah said, “Israel killed at least five journalists in Nasser Hospital on Monday morning. Israel’s broadcasted killing of journalists in Gaza continues while the world watches and fails to act firmly on the most horrific attacks the press has ever faced in recent history. These murders must end now. The perpetrators must no longer be allowed to act with impunity.”

National Press Club president Mike Balsamo said in a statement ([link removed]) , “The killing of journalists in Gaza is not just a tragedy for their families and colleagues; it is an attack on the public's right to know. Journalists are witnesses on the front lines of conflict — often the only way the public understands what is happening in this war. They must never be treated as targets. International law requires their protection, and those who violate that obligation must be held accountable.”

The five deaths come just two weeks after Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and several colleagues were killed when a targeted Israeli attack struck a tent used by journalists outside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

In their letter to senior Israeli officials, Pace and Galloni wrote, “We are doing everything we can to keep our journalists in Gaza safe as they continue to deliver crucial eyewitness reporting under extremely dangerous conditions. We once again urge Israeli authorities to allow independent journalists safe, unimpeded access into and out of Gaza, and to uphold their obligations to ensure press freedom and protection. We are available to discuss this further and reiterate our call for a full and transparent accounting of what occurred.”

A MESSAGE FROM POYNTER
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** Important work
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Take a few moments to look at this collection of photos ([link removed]) that Mariam Dagga took for AP while covering the war in Gaza. Some of the images are tough to look at, but Dagga was doing important work bringing them to the world.


** Off the rails
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Did you happen to catch President Donald Trump’s comments to reporters Monday inside the Oval Office?

Some of it was … well, something else:
* He claims he is called “the president of Europe.”
* He said he was going to reduce drug prices by “1,400 to 1,500%.”
* He called Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker a “slob.” He also called former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie a “slob.”
* He said a lot of people call him a dictator, adding, “A lot of people are saying maybe we like a dictator. I don’t like a dictator. I'm not a dictator. I'm a man with great common sense. I'm a smart person.”
* Bragging about how safe Washington, D.C., is since he deployed the National Guard, Trump said the district used to be called “a murder a week.” He added, “You come here from Iowa, you come here from Indiana, you come here from Idaho because you're so proud of your country, you love your country. And then you get murdered, your son gets murdered, your daughter gets murdered. You get murdered. See the media? You get murdered."

And then there was this comment, talking about the court system: “You can’t have a corrupt court system. You can’t have that, you have to have borders. And you have to have a free press. Otherwise, you don’t have a country.”

Yes, Trump acknowledged that you “have to have a free press.”

And yet just hours earlier, Trump was on his Truth Social, threatening NBC and ABC. Late Sunday night, Trump slammed both networks.

He wrote in one post ([link removed]) , “Despite a very high popularity and, according to many, among the greatest 8 months in Presidential History, ABC & NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the worst and most biased networks in history, give me 97% BAD STORIES. IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEY ARE SIMPLY AN ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND SHOULD, ACCORDING TO MANY, HAVE THEIR LICENSES REVOKED BY THE FCC. I would be totally in favor of that because they are so biased and untruthful, an actual threat to our Democracy!!!”

He followed that up with ([link removed]) , “Why is it that ABC and NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the absolute worst and most biased networks anywhere in the World, aren’t paying Millions of Dollars a year in LICENSE FEES. They should lose their Licenses for their unfair coverage of Republicans and/or Conservatives, but at a minimum, they should pay up BIG for having the privilege of using the most valuable airwaves anywhere at anytime!!! Crooked ‘journalism’ should not be rewarded, it should be terminated!!!

It also should be pointed out that Trump’s free press comments came in the same press conference that he said, “The newspapers are so dishonest and the press is totally dishonest. That’s all right, we’ve gotten used to this. And we won in a landslide so they obviously lost their power. It is impossible to imagine that when you get 97% negative stories, purposely negative stories, even though you have done 97% positive things that they could — that you could win an election in a landslide, winning all seven — think of it — all seven swing states winning by the popular vote by millions of votes.”

That’s just a portion of that particular rant.


** Can I see your license?
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While Trump says things such as NBC and ABC should “lose their licenses,” Time’s Solcyré Burga writes, “Trump Threatens NBC and ABC. Here’s Why He Can’t Revoke Their Licenses.” ([link removed])

Burga reports, “The FCC only licenses ‘individual broadcast systems,’ however, not networks such as ABC and NBC, as the agency notes. The FCC is also barred under the First Amendment and the federal law that created the agency from dictating what programming networks air. Broadcast stations can violate FCC rules if they knowingly publish false information which then results in ‘substantial public harm’ that was ‘foreseeable,’ or if direct evidence shows them intentionally rigging or slanting’ the news, the agency says. But the FCC also generally does not engage with complaints alleging ‘one-sided news reports or comments,’ it says, because doing so would be ‘inconsistent with the First Amendment to replace the journalistic judgment of licensees with our own.’”


** Flagging down the truth
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President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order requiring the Justice Department to investigate instances of flag burning. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Granted, it’s a made-up movie about a fictional president, but there’s a great scene in the 1995 film, “The American President.” It’s near the end when President Andrew Shepherd, played by Michael Douglas, gives his big climactic speech — which includes a part about burning the United States flag.

President Shepherd says, “America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, ‘cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, ‘You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.’ You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.”

Why is that relevant today? Because on Monday, Trump signed an executive order targeting American flag burning, even though the Supreme Court has ruled that act is protected by the First Amendment.

As he signed the order, Trump said, “If you burn a flag, you get one year in jail, no early exits, no nothing.”

But CBS News’ Melissa Quinn put it in some context by writing ([link removed]) , “Titled ‘Prosecuting Burning of the American Flag,’ Mr. Trump's executive order does not direct the attorney general to prosecute those who burn flags for the act itself. Rather, it says the Justice Department should bring cases ‘against acts of American Flag desecration that violate applicable, content-neutral laws, while causing harm unrelated to expression, consistent with the First Amendment.’ Examples of those laws include ‘violent crimes; hate crimes, illegal discrimination against American citizens, or other violations of Americans’ civil rights; and crimes against property and the peace.’”

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that burning a flag is protected free speech.

Quinn wrote, “The directive acknowledges a 36-year-old Supreme Court decision that found flag burning is protected speech but adds that ‘American flag desecration conducted in a manner that is likely to incite imminent lawless action or that is an action amounting to fighting words may not be entitled to the same protection under the First Amendment.

The order directs the secretary of state, attorney general and secretary of homeland security to take action against foreign nationals who have engaged in American flag-desecration activity,’ including by revoking their visas or residence permits, or seeking their removal from the U.S.”

Even Trump supporters and conservative media, who like to tout the infallibility of the U.S. Constitution, were put in an awkward position.

Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume tweeted ([link removed]) , “George HW Bush ran against flag burning in 1988 and spent a whole week campaigning on the issue. But he called for a constitutional amendment to ban the practice. He didn't pretend he could ban it by an executive order that flies in the face of constitutional speech protections. C'mon man.”

For more on what conservatives were saying, Mediaite’s Isaac Schorr has “‘This Is Garbage’: Conservatives Slam Trump Plan to Jail American Flag Burners.” ([link removed])

Also, USA Today’s BrieAnna Frank has a good piece about it all: “Is flag burning protected speech? What to know about Trump's order.” ([link removed])


** A New York state of mind
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National Guard troops being deployed to Washington, D.C., was a topic on Monday morning’s “Fox & Friends” on Fox News. Trump and others, including many in conservative media, keep insisting that Trump’s actions have made America’s capital safe again, even though the data doesn’t necessarily back up those claims. For example, at the start of this year, violent crime in D.C. was down 35% ([link removed]) from the previous year and at a 30-year low.

Now Trump is talking about sending troops into other cities, such as Baltimore, Chicago and New York City. However, those cities do not want Trump’s troops to take over. For example, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called military deployment “costly, illegal and unconstitutional,” among other criticisms.

That led “Fox & Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt to say on air, “I just don’t understand why they wouldn’t want to clean up these cities. I mean, D.C. needed to be cleaned up. It looks like it has been.”

Earhardt then talked about where she lives — and where “Fox & Friends” is broadcast. She said, “Fine, you don’t want ’em? Send ’em to New York, please. Please, Donald Trump, send ’em here. Clean up these streets. I welcome it.”

HuffPost’s Ron Dicker noted ([link removed]) , “Earhardt may be overplaying the urgency. Stats released by the NYPD earlier this month indicate New York City had ‘the fewest shooting incidents and shooting victims in recorded history’ in the first seven months of the year.”


** Good work
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I enjoy pointing out good journalism, especially at the local news level. Today, I want to highlight the work of investigative reporter Andy Pierrotti of Atlanta News First (WANF-TV).

With the help of a grant from the Pulitzer Center, Pierrotti and his colleagues produced “Tragedy in Paradise.” ([link removed]) ANF traveled more than 6,000 miles from Atlanta to Samoa to dive deep on a deadly measles outbreak that happened there in 2019.

Why look back at something that happened six years ago? For starters, Georgia and the U.S. have experienced the worst measles outbreaks in more than three decades. And the topic of Samoa and measles came up during the confirmation hearings for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. RFK was grilled by lawmakers who asked about possible misinformation that he may have spread about measles and vaccines.

Check out the important and relevant story, and here’s the homepage ([link removed]) for ANF’s work on this topic.


** Troubling news
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Speaking of Kennedy and vaccines, The Daily Beast’s Tom Latchem reported ([link removed]) Monday that the Trump administration will pull the COVID-19 vaccine “within months.” That’s according to an associate close to RFK.

Latchem wrote, “Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a British cardiologist who has repeatedly claimed in the face of scientific consensus that the vaccines are more dangerous than the virus, told the Daily Beast that Kennedy’s stance is shared by ‘influential’ members of President Donald Trump’s family.”

“Pod Save America” co-host Tommy Vietor linked to The Daily Beast story on X and wrote ([link removed]) , “Loving all this personal freedom!”


** Media tidbits
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* The New York Times’ Michael M. Grynbaum and Benjamin Mullin with “Chris Wallace, a CBS News Scion, Is Advising Its New Owner.” ([link removed])
* In his Status media newsletter ([link removed]) , Oliver Darcy reports that Marie Beaudette is leaving as financial editor of The Wall Street Journal to join CNN. Darcy writes that Beaudette will be CNN's vice president of business and media coverage. Darcy also writes about a bit of a pipeline between the Journal and CNN. By the way, Darcy is my guest on the next episode of "The Poynter Report Podcast" due on Wednesday.
* Semafor’s Max Tani writes about new Vanity Fair editor Mark Guiducci in “Vanity Fair’s new cruise director will have to choose between his reporters and his friends.” ([link removed])
* In a piece for The Washington Post, writer and podcast producer Maddy Butcher with “A reality check for NPR stations in Trump country.” ([link removed])
* Catching up on this from late last week. The Hill’s Julia Shapero with “Trump says he may extend TikTok ban deadline again.” ([link removed])
* Less than two weeks ago, sports columnist Dan Wolken announced ([link removed]) he was leaving USA Today. But he already has a new gig. On Monday, he was named college sports columnist at Yahoo Sports. He will also contribute to Yahoo’s tennis and Olympics coverage.
* A smart take here from Awful Announcing’s Sean Keeley: “The idea that sports media ‘suits’ are in trouble is a bit naive.” ([link removed])


** Hot type
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* New York Times opinion columnist M. Gessen, reporting from Kharkiv, Ukraine, in “He Was a Star in Russia’s Media World. Now He’s a Corporal in Ukraine’s Army.” ([link removed])
* NBC News’ Allan Smith and Amanda Terkel with “It's the golden age of ‘Josh.’” ([link removed])


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Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

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