Big Protests in NYC Slam Killing of Al Jazeera Journalists, Demand US Media Step Up
NEW YORK, NY – August 13, 2025:Today, hundreds of people hit the streets of New York City to protest the death of four Al Jazeera employees and two freelancers in Gaza. They’re also accusing U.S. news outlets of helping cover it up by not reporting enough. The protest, which ended up at The New York Times building, is just one part of a bigger global reaction to an Israeli airstrike that hit a media tent outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Sunday, August 10. The Israeli army is saying that one of the dead reporters was a Hamas fighter, but Al Jazeera and press orgs everywhere are saying that’s BS.
Focus on the Al Jazeera Deaths
The Israeli strike on the media tent killed Al Jazeera Arabic reporters Anas al-Sharif, 28, and Mohammed Qreiqeh, 33, plus cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, 25, and Mohammed Noufal, 29. Freelancers Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed al-Khalidi were also killed in the same attack. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said they were shocked by what happened, calling it a serious problem that could be a war crime.
Anas al-Sharif was pretty famous, known for reporting live from northern Gaza since the start of the fighting. The Israeli army had said before that he was with Hamas, something he and his network always denied. Press groups are calling his killing, and those of his coworkers, a deliberate attempt to shut down important news coming from Gaza.
The Israeli army is sticking to its story that al-Sharif was part of Hamas and just using his job as a journalist as a cover. They claim to have found papers in Gaza that prove it, like training records and lists of names. Al Jazeera and a bunch of groups around the world aren’t buying it, pointing out that Israel has a history of making these kinds of claims without any real proof.
Targeting The New York Times
The protesters in New York City made a point of gathering outside The New York Times, saying that the paper and other big U.S. media companies are playing down the deaths of Palestinian reporters and covering for the Israeli military. People were holding signs with pictures of the dead journalists and chanting for an end to what they called a genocide in Gaza. They think that because many Western news sources aren’t reporting critically or deeply enough, the public is okay with these attacks.
The protesters also wanted to make the point about how many journalists have gotten killed in this conflict. The Committee to Protect Journalists says that over 238 journalists have died since the war started in late 2023, making it the deadliest time ever for journalists. The New York protest was saying that this latest attack, and how some media are reacting to it, is part of a bigger plan to control how the war is being told.
The people running a similar protest in Washington, D.C., said that the media companies they were targeting had made excuses for the Israeli government, making the public think it is okay that the journalists died. This was the same feeling in New York, where protesters said the media is no longer the only one telling the story and that people know what’s really happening even if the news isn’t showing it.
The Role of the U.S. Blackout
When the protest mentioned a US blackout, they meant two things. First, they meant a real lack of news, or, as some people see it, a failure of Western media to really show the Palestinian side and the disaster happening in Gaza. But they also meant a bigger blackout of information, where the number of people dying and the fact that journalists are being targeted isn’t getting the attention it should.
This isn’t the first time New York has seen protests about power outages or other big problems. Events like the 1977 New York City blackout have been connected to social unrest and a loss of trust in important things. Today’s protest isn’t about a real power outage, but it’s similar in that people are angry about what they see as failures of important systems, in this case, the media. The protesters are saying that this so-called blackout of news is on purpose and has terrible results, just like a power outage would.
World Reaction and Demands for Answers
The killings have been criticized around the world by governments, press groups, and international groups. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression has said before that the claims against journalists are not backed up and are a clear attack. Amnesty International has also spoken out against the killings, calling them a war crime and calling Anas al-Sharif a brave and amazing reporter.
Al Jazeera Media Network has put out many statements saying that the attack was planned ahead and clearly an attack on press freedom. The network wants someone to do an outside investigation into the strike and is asking governments to put pressure on Israel to stop targeting media people. They said that the killings were a desperate attempt to shut down anyone who exposes the near seizure and occupation of Gaza.
The world’s reaction has been mixed. A lot of people have said they don’t like the attack, but there hasn’t been any united response. Jodie Ginsberg, the head of CPJ, thinks that not doing anything about the targeting of journalists in war zones is a big reason why this keeps happening. The New York protest is a way for people to ask for more action from the government and the media.
What’s Next and What It Means
The journalists were killed as Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan to make military operations bigger and take over Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera. This shows how dangerous it is for journalists to report from inside the area. Because foreign journalists are mostly not allowed into Gaza, local reporters like the ones who died are the main way the world gets information.
The protest in New York City, and others happening around the world, shows that people want to know what’s going on and want justice. They’re asking not just for the people who did the strike to be held responsible, but also the media companies that they say aren’t giving fair news. This all shows how the conflict is affecting press freedom and the fight to control the story of the war. It’s not clear what will happen next for reporting from Gaza, but this latest tragedy is a warning to anyone who tries to show the conflict.
