Ahead of this week’s annual Rory Peck Awards, Executive Director Jon Williams has led tributes in New York to the more than 240 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza.
Nearly 1,000 guests stood in silence at the 35th International Press Freedom Awards, remembering those who have been killed since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas. The event, supporting the Committee to Protect Journalists, heard from Palestinian journalist and 2024 IPFA honouree Shrouq Al Aila. She was invited to share her reflections from Gaza, where she remains unable to leave. Her remarks were read to the audience by Jon Williams, a CPJ Board member,. He was joined on stage by Middle East journalists Fadi Mansour, Yesica Fisch, Humeyra Pamuk and Rula Jebreal.
“When the genocide began to subside, I felt something inside me rekindle — a quiet but certain faith in the power of journalism,” Al Aila wrote. “My colleagues and I are waiting now, with our cameras and our words, to document Gaza as it rises once again from the ruins, stronger, more beautiful, and unbroken.”
The ceremony, hosted by CNN’S chief international anchor, Christiane Amanpour, recognised five journalists from China, Ecuador, Tunisia and Kyrgyzstan. In a stark reflection of the pressures facing independent reporters worldwide, none could attend in person; all are either jailed or unable to travel for security reasons.
The event raised nearly $3 million to support CPJ’s work globally. In her remarks, CPJ Chief Executive Jodie Ginsberg called for solidarity among the journalism community to push back against growing threats to media freedom in the United States and around the world:
“In this critical moment for our profession, for our society, let us be half as brave as our colleagues who risk everything to report the truth.”
This year’s Rory Peck Awards take place on Wednesday, November 26th at BFI Southbank in London, and will feature two new categories: the Fellowship and Freelancer of the Year.