60+ Seattle journalists pen open letter condemning Israel’s killings of Palestinian colleagues
This post has been updated with additional signers of the open letter.
A collective of 72 Seattle-area journalists and media workers have signed on to an open letter demanding an end to Israel’s killings of Palestinian journalists in Gaza and calling for their protection as they continue to report on the ongoing war and genocide in the Gaza Strip. The signing journalists come from more than 20 different news organizations, ranging from large national news outlets to local newspapers and independent freelancers.
The letter was drafted in response to the assassinations of two groups Palestinian journalists outside the Al Shifa and Al Nasser hospitals earlier this month. Among the slain are Al Jazeera Arabic reporter Anas Al-Sharif and Associated Press freelance photographer Mariam Abu Dagga.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 197 journalists have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza, many of whom have been deliberately targeted. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has estimated that 246 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since the war began and another 206 have been arrested, both in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank. The Israeli military has also killed journalists in Lebanon, Syria and Iran amid the expanding regional war.
The local effort in Seattle mirrors other actions taken by journalists to denounce the targeting of Palestinian journalists. In November 2023, More than 1,500 journalists and media workers signed on to an open letter condemning the killings of Palestinian journalists. Since then, the death toll for journalists has more than quintupled, becoming by far the most deadly war for journalists on record.
Numerous journalist groups — including but not limited to CPJ, the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the Trans Journalists Association, the Indigenous Journalists Association and the Asian American Journalists Association and NLGJA: The Association of LGBT+ Journalists — have released public statements calling for the protection of Palestinian journalists in Gaza. Closer to home, the Western Washington chapter of SPJ released a statement denouncing attacks on Palestinian journalists in January 2024.
However, none of this outcry has yet to result in material change to Israel’s policy of targeting journalists. In that vein, the Seattle journalists who signed the open letter committed to taking action in their own work, including humanizing Palestinians in news coverage, combatting Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism, amplifying calls for protection of journalists and reporting fairly on local community members who stand in solidarity with Gaza.
Many media commentators have accused the U.S. and Western news industry of hypocrisy and silence that has enabled the killing of our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza. The National Writers Union has documented 40 cases involving 82 journalists and media workers who were retaliated against by media corporations for speaking out for their Palestinian colleagues. Investigations in mainstream news outlets such as CNN and the BBC have found systemic bias in favor of Israel and against Palestine. It is clear more action must be taken to end the West’s media cover for Israeli attacks and impunity.
A copy of the open letter has been appended to the bottom of this blog post. Seattle area journalists and media workers can sign on to the open letter here.
Seattle Journalists Condemn Israel's Killing of Members of The Press
We, the undersigned journalists and media workers in the Seattle area, condemn Israel’s continued attacks on members of the press.
On Monday, Israeli airstrikes hit Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, killing at 20 people, including five journalists: Reuters photojournalist Hussam al-Masri, Al Jazeera photojournalist Mohammad Salama, Associated Press freelancer Mariam Abu Daqqa, photographer Moaz Abu Taha, and Middle East Eye freelancer Ahmad Abu Aziz. This comes just weeks after Israel bombed a clearly marked media tent, killing several media workers, including prominent Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif.
And those journalists are far from anomalies. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 197 journalists and media workers have died in Israel and occupied Palestine between Oct. 7, 2023 and Aug. 25, 2025. That death toll tops all other wars. In fact, more journalists have died covering Israel’s assault on Gaza than in the U.S. Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Yugoslav Wars, the War in Afghanistan and the ongoing Ukraine War combined.
It is clear that Israel is targeting the press in an attempt to suppress the truth. Palestinian journalists have been systematically killed, harassed, censored, and silenced, all the while Israel has blocked international journalists from entering Gaza. We stand in solidarity with Palestinian journalists, who have shown extraordinary courage in continuing their critical work under unimaginable conditions. Their voices matter. Their lives matter.
We urge fellow media professionals, institutions, and press freedom advocates around the world to join us in using their platforms to call for the protection of journalists. We also urge reporters to learn from the work of Palestinian journalists by humanizing Palestinians in their coverage, checking their anti-Arab bias and Islamophobia, and reporting fairly on local stories related to community members who are standing in solidarity with Gaza.
Signed,
Hannah Krieg, The Burner
Guy Oron, Real Change
Alex Garland, The Dignity Virus
Luna Reyna, Underscore Native News + ICT
Hannah Saunders, Through The Static
Daniel Berman, Leaf Magazines
Jordan Maiden, The Hillbilly Rover
Ivy Ceballo, The Seattle Times
Krystal Marx, Real Change
Henry Behrens, Real Change
Chris Rojas, formerly PBS
Lex Vaughn, The Needling
Justin Ward, Divest SPD
Chloe Collyer, South Seattle Emerald
vee hua, redefine magazine
Marcus Harrison Green, The Stranger/South Seattle Emerald
Melissa Ponder
Sarah Stuteville
Sarah Anne Lloyd
Adam Willems
Susan Fried
Nate Gowdy
David Ryder
Tariq Ra’ouf
Chona Kasinger
Noah Riffe
Megan Farmer
Patty Tang
Jovelle Tamayo
Asia Fields
Grant Hindsley
Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks
Ramon Dompo
Celia Wu
Nura Ahmed, Real Change
Rae Deng
Farah Eltohamy, Cascade PBS
Shauna Sowersby, The Seattle Times
Maya Tizon, South Seattle Emerald
Ashley Nash, My Neighborhood News
Taija PerryCook
Sara Lerner, Former NPR/KUOW
Marian Mohamed, Real Change
Jake Rummel, KIRO Radio
Calvin Jay Emerson, Seattle Gay News
Fareeha Rehman
Nate Sanford
Dan Warter, REEL Films
Marti McKenna
Mesha Albone
Ryan Packer, The Urbanist
Orlando JayAre Quezada, Real Change
Chase Hutchinson
Austin Price
Gennette Cordova
Nathalie Graham, The Stranger
Madison Jones, Seattle Gay News
Audrey Vann, The Stranger
Emily Nokes, The Stranger
Meron Menghistab
Lilly Ana Fowler, South Seattle Emerald
Tim Gruver, The Washington Observer
Bruce C Tom
Chetanya Robinson
Olivia Rosane, Common Dreams
Bri Little, Independent Journalist
Vivian McCall, The Stranger
Zofia Beck Anchondo
David Stoesz, Pen & Eye
Glen Stellmacher, Independent Journalist
Sam J Leeds
*Organizations for identification purposes. Signatory list last updated Sept. 2, 2025 2 p.m.
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