The Gaza Project: Collaborative Journalism in Times of War

This event will be held in English.

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Since October 7, more than 100 journalists have been killed. For four months, Forbidden Stories and its partners investigated the circumstances of their killings, as well as those who have been targeted, threatened and injured in the West Bank and Gaza. Journalists Laurent Richard and Léa Perruchon from Forbidden Stories, alongside colleagues from media partner Le Monde, will discuss the role of collaboration in The Gaza Project, and the particular challenges and dangers of reporting on warzones.

Context

Since October 7, more than 100 journalists, primarily Palestinian, have been killed in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Investigations suggest that some were targeted despite being clearly identifiable as press. Forbidden Stories, in partnership with over 50 journalists from 13 global media organizations, conducted a four-month investigation into the targeting and deaths of journalists in Gaza and the West Bank.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have denied intentionally targeting journalists, calling such claims "fundamentally false."

Investigators remotely interviewed over 120 witnesses, including journalists and military witnesses, and used satellite images to build evidence due to restricted access to Gaza. The investigation revealed that 6 buildings housing media offices were partially or completely destroyed, and many journalists were killed or injured while wearing press vests. Forbidden Stories documented that at least 40 journalists were killed in their homes and 18 were targeted by drones. At least 14 were wearing press vests when killed or injured. Journalists reported that the press vest, intended for protection under international law, has become a potential target, putting their lives at greater risk.

Concerns were raised about unequal global reactions to the deaths of Palestinian journalists compared to their Israeli or Ukrainian counterparts. Experts highlighted the particular vulnerability of journalists in conflict zones, as they often need to be close to the fighting to report effectively.

Speakers

Laurent Richard is a French award-winning documentary filmmaker, producer, and founder of Forbidden Stories, a global network of journalists whose mission is to pursue the investigations of reporters who have been murdered, jailed or threatened. He has directed documentaries for 20 years and was a Knight-Wallace Fellow in 2017 at the University of Michigan. He was named European Journalist of the year 2018 by the Prix Europa in Berlin.

Léa Peruchon is an investigative journalist with the Forbidden Stories network. Trained in Touraine, she recounts the consortium's latest investigation into the targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza. She began by doing reports in the Sanitas neighborhood of Tours in 2018. Today, Léa Péruchon is an investigative journalist and coordinated and published an investigation on the targeting of press infrastructures by Israel in Gaza last June.

Organizers

is a network of journalists whose mission is to protect, pursue, and publish the work of other journalists facing threats, Pr*son, or M**der. It is the only existing program with this mission, with the message that killing the journalist won’t K*ll the story.

The addresses pressing global issues that are at the forefront of international education and research: agency and gender; climate and the environment; critical dialogues for just societies; encounters in the arts; and health and medical science. The Paris Center is part of , which brings together the Columbia Global Centers, Columbia World Projects, the Committee on Global Thought, the Institute for Ideas and Imagination, and Undergraduate Global Engagement.

Venue

Nestled in the Montparnasse district, Reid Hall hosts several Columbia University initiatives: the Columbia Global Paris Center, the Institute for Ideas and Imagination, the Columbia Undergraduate Programs, the M.A. in History and Literature, and the GSAPP Shape of Two Cities Program. This unique combination of resources is enhanced by our global network whose mission is to expand the University's engagement with the world through educational programs, research initiatives, regional partnerships, and public events.

The views and opinions expressed by speakers and guests do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the Columbia Global Paris Center or its affiliates.

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