From the Liveblog of
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Media watchdog votes to reaffirm definition of journalist amid backlash over ‘full review’ of database, following ToI investigation
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleStav Levaton is a military reporter for The Times of Israel
The Committee to Protect Journalists, which tracks media workers killed while on the job, including those killed by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon since October 7, 2023, says its board has voted to reaffirm its existing definition of who is a journalist after facing public backlash over its decision to launch a “full review” of its Gaza casualty database.
The review was announced following a Times of Israel investigation that identified multiple Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives previously reported as slain journalists.
The board says it rejects claims that CPJ had planned to change its definition to exclude certain groups, including Palestinian and Lebanese journalists killed during the war. Instead, it votes to affirm its longstanding policy, “anchored in international humanitarian law,” which includes “journalists working for state-backed media and those working with media organizations affiliated with militant groups provided they are not engaging in combat or inciting violence in a manner likely to have imminent effect.”
“It is not true that CPJ planned to change our definition of who is a journalist to exclude slain Palestinian and Lebanese press killed in the Israel-Gaza war,” CPJ board chair Jacob Weisberg says, adding that such “unsubstantiated allegations” undermine the organization’s documentation efforts.
CPJ previously removed eight names from its database after determining the individuals were Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives, and another 12 for other reasons.
Its review of the remaining entries is expected to be completed this month.
In a separate X thread, CPJ defends its removal of the 20 names to date, saying the organization “did not remove any of these names because of political pressure… The only time we remove or add names is if new information, verified by CPJ, establishes that an individual should have been included or excluded as per our existing and long-standing methodology,” such as cases when media workers were later found to have engaged in combat.
The Times of Israel Community.