Gaza-based AFP, AP and Reuters Journalists Receive 2026 WAN-IFRA Golden Pen of Freedom Award
Three Palestinian journalists accepted the award on behalf of colleagues working in Gaza at the World News Media Congress in Marseille on June 1.
RapplerJournalists working in Gaza received the 2026 Golden Pen of Freedom Award from the World Association of News Publishers at the World News Media Congress in Marseille on Monday, June 1. Mohammed Abed of Agence France-Presse, Fatima Shbair of the Associated Press, and Mohammed Salem of Reuters accepted the award on behalf of journalists in Gaza.
Abed said they accepted the award for colleagues still inside Gaza and for journalists killed while doing this work.
He said the first challenge of covering Gaza is that you are not covering someone else’s war but living it every single day. Abed said: “We are Palestinian. Gaza is our home. When I photographed a funeral, I was often photographing people I knew.
Shbair said the second challenge is there is no rest in coverage because journalists cannot rotate in and out of the conflict zone. She said foreign reporters were banned from Gaza except for those on tours by the Israeli military. Shbair said: “As a journalist, you have a job to do.
Salem said the third challenge was doing the work at great personal cost. He said he lost his brother Bilal in the war and that Bilal was a journalist. The head of the Committee to Protect Journalists stated that Israel’s war on Gaza is more deadly to journalists than any previous war.
Palestinians gathered at the site of an Israeli strike at a cafe at the seaport of Gaza City on May 31, 2026.
Transparency
Reported by a single outlet. This score reflects source tier and factual specificity — corroboration is limited with one source.
Story details
Related Stories
thehindu.comRubio Tells Congress Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei Is Alive and Increasingly Active as U.S. Seeks Concessions
Marco Rubio testified before Congress on Tuesday that Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is alive and increasingly engaged. He also restated U.S. commitment to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
thenation.comHegseth Rejects Navy One-Star Promotions Selected by Board, Citing Merit Over DEI
Pete Hegseth removed several senior Navy officers from a promotion list to one-star admiral and four Army colonels from a brigadier general list. The moves follow earlier interventions and come after 19 senior generals or flag officers have been fired or sidelined since he took o…
France 24EU Agrees on Rules to Deport Rejected Migrants to Third-Country Return Hubs
European Union lawmakers and member states agreed Monday on new rules that let countries send migrants ordered to leave the bloc to centers in third countries. The deal creates a legal framework for return hubs where rejected asylum seekers or people without legal status can be h…