Organized by Press House, the European Union and UNESCO… Open Media Day "Journalism Under Digital Siege" in Gaza

Gaza - Press House

On Wednesday, May 11, 2022, Open Media Day on the topic of "Journalism under the Digital Siege" was launched in the Gaza Strip and organized by Press House - Palestine, in partnership with the European Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

This Open Media Day was the first event of its kind, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, with participation of the European Union Ambassadors, representatives of UNESCO and the United Nations, representatives of civil society organizations and the private sector, media professionals, social media activists and media colleges graduates.

Mr. Belal Jadallah, Head of Board at Press House, opened the event by standing for a minute of silence because of killing the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh during covering the events in Jenin camp.

Mr. Jadallah stressed the need to respect the media freedom and talked about violations of freedom of expression and the issue of journalism under the digital siege to highlight on how last developments as technology monitoring and control affect the journalism and freedom of expression.

Also, he invited the international community to pressure on Israeli authorities to stop their violations against journalists in Palestine and pressure on social media companies to stop fighting the Palestinian content and prevent it from reaching the world.

Mr. Sven Kuehn Von Bugsdorff, European Union Representative, said that “The celebration of World Press Freedom Day does not come only to commemorate or honour those who were killed during their work, but to confirm that journalists in all the world, especially in Gaza, continue their work in covering the events.”

He stressed the need for free press, especially in Palestine, where there is no democracy and elected parliaments, with the aim at the end to achieve freedoms.

Ms. Noha Bawazir, UNESCO representative in Palestine, said that "Topic of today is Journalism under digital siege, which highlights many multifaceted digital threats that affect journalists and press freedom."

Also, she explained that journalists in Gaza Strip face many challenges not limited to digital rights only, adding that we must remember that press freedom means increasing the available space for media.

During the open media day "Journalism under Digital Siege", opening of Palestinian Thobe, ExpoMedia and "Shababek" Art Exhibition.

Following the opening of the exhibitions, a tweeting session was launched by journalists and social media activists, in order to demand press freedom. At the conclusion of the open media day, two workshops were held, the first was on the topic of "Journalism and Digital Siege" and the second was on the topic of "Importance of Digital Content in the Media".