The Role of Journalists in Conflict Zones
Introduction
A hospital in southern Gaza has been under attack by Israeli forces, killing four journalists including Mariam Dagga, a freelancer who worked for The Associated Press. This tragic event has raised concerns about the safety of journalists and the protection of media personnel in conflict zones.
The Role of Journalists in Conflict Zones
Journalists play a crucial role in bringing the truth to light and informing the public about events in conflict zones. They often put themselves in harm's way to report on the ground, risking their lives to bring the world the reality of war. Unfortunately, this puts them at high risk of becoming casualties themselves.
The Need for Protection of Journalists
The targeting of media personnel by military forces is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. Journalists, like all civilians, should be protected from the dangers of war. Governments and military forces must take responsibility for the safety of journalists and ensure that they can report without fear of being killed or injured.
About the People Mentioned
Mariam Dagga
Mariam Abu Dagga was a Palestinian freelance photojournalist based in Gaza, renowned for her courageous coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.[1][2][3] She contributed to major outlets including the Associated Press (AP) and Independent Arabia, providing rare visual documentation of the humanitarian crisis, including scenes of malnourished children dying from starvation at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza.[1][3] Her career gained prominence in 2018 when she filmed the shooting of a Palestinian protester during the Great March of Return demonstrations; the victim was later identified as her brother, intertwining her personal and professional lives.[1] Following Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Abu Dagga became one of the few women journalists on the ground, capturing the war's human toll amid constant displacement, the loss of her mother and a close colleague, and separation from her 13-year-old son, who was evacuated to the United Arab Emirates.[1] Despite repeated dangers, she documented the immediate aftermath of strikes and the deepening famine, bylining an AP story on Gaza's crisis just days before her death.[1] On August 25, 2025, Abu Dagga was killed in Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, alongside journalists Hussam Al-Masri (Reuters), Mohammed Salama (Al Jazeera), Ahmed Abu Aziz, and Moaz Abu Taha, while covering the attacks; others were injured.[2] The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) classified the incident as "unknown" pending investigation into whether it constituted murder in reprisal for her work, noting Israel's claim of targeting a Hamas-operated camera on the hospital roof.[2] Posthumously, she was named the 2025 IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero by the International Press Institute, recognizing her determination and inspiration to Gaza's journalists.[1] Her AP photo gallery preserves her stark imagery of wounded arrivals and medical struggles at the hospital.[3]
About the Organizations Mentioned
Associated Press
The **Associated Press (AP)** is the world's largest and one of the oldest news organizations, founded in 1846 by five New York City newspapers to share the cost of covering the Mexican-American War. It operates as a **nonprofit cooperative**, owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members, and is renowned for delivering fast, accurate, and objective news worldwide[1][2][5][6]. Initially formed to pool telegraph costs and avoid competitive bidding for news, AP quickly expanded its scope. By 1848, six newspapers collaborated to finance telegraphic relay of foreign news, laying the foundation for a national newswire service. Over time, regional groups merged, culminating in the incorporation of the modern AP in 1900. Despite early antitrust challenges due to its control over news distribution, AP adapted and grew, becoming a key global news network with nearly 250 bureaus in about 100 countries[1][2][3][5]. AP provides a wide range of services, including the basic newswire, APTN (a television news agency), a 24-hour radio news service, and digital platforms delivering text, images, and sound. Its content reaches over 4 billion people daily, with approximately 400,000 stories, 80,000 videos, and 1.2 million photos produced annually[5][8]. The agency's journalists have won **59 Pulitzer Prizes**, including 36 for photography, underscoring its commitment to high journalistic standards and ethics[1][8]. Notable for its **nonpartisan, fact-based journalism**, AP has historically shaped news agendas in the U.S. and globally. It helped break news monopolies during World War I and has been a fierce advocate for press freedom, journalist safety, and intellectual property protection. Its governance by an executive leadership team and board of directors reflects its cooperative structure and mission focus on advancing the power of facts in journalism[4][8]. Today, AP continues to b
