Doha, Qatar: Al Jazeera Media Network categorically rejects the remarks made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly, where he described Al Jazeera as a “toxic” media outlet.
“The Network regards these remarks as the latest development in a sustained campaign against Al Jazeera and its journalists for carrying out their professional duties: reporting facts from the ground, documenting events, providing context and ensuring that a range of voices and perspectives are heard,” Al Jazeera Media Network said in a statement.
It adds that this rhetoric cannot be separated from the heavy toll borne by Al Jazeera’s journalists in Gaza. The Network has lost a number of journalists and camera operators while they were carrying out their work. Some were subjected to campaigns of incitement and vilification before being targeted.
“That such rhetoric was delivered from the podium of the United Nations is a matter of particular concern, given the threat such rhetoric poses to the safety of Al Jazeera journalists working in the field.”
The remarks, the Network said, also come against the backdrop of a ban on the Network’s operations, the closure of its offices and restrictions preventing its journalists from reaching the scenes of events.
These measures do not target Al Jazeera alone; they also undermine the right of every person to access truthful information and independent journalistic coverage.
Al Jazeera Media Network has called on the international community, United Nations bodies and press freedom organisations to fulfil their responsibilities to protect journalists under international law and to ensure that those responsible for targeting them are held accountable.
The Network has reaffirmed that its editorial decisions are made independently and governed by professional and ethical standards.
