Gaza journalists urge US reporters to boycott White House dinner over Israel's war

Journalists in Gaza are urging their US-based counterparts to boycott the upcoming White House Correspondents' Association Dinner over Israel's war on Gaza.

This week, Palestinian rights advocates circulated a letter in both English and Arabic urging the US-based media to decline to attend the coveted dinner, which is scheduled for Saturday, 27 April.

"As Palestinian journalists, we urgently appeal to you, our colleagues globally, with a demand for immediate and unwavering action against the Biden administration's ongoing complicity in the systematic slaughter and persecution of journalists in Gaza," the letter reads. 

It goes on to describe the harsh conditions of working as a journalist in Gaza, compared with the exclusivity of the correspondents' dinner, a contrast they see as both a privilege and a responsibility, given the power wielded in the US capital, which they refer to in the letter as the belly of the beast.

"Journalists normalising rubbing shoulders with the administration and doing business as usual in an environment that's casual doesn't seem right when there's a genocide," Eman Mohammed, an independent photojournalist who is part of the initiative, told The New Arab. "I lived as a photojournalist in Gaza. Not a day went by without hearing a horrific story from a colleague."

These days, as a photojournalist based in Washington, DC, she has covered multiple White House Correspondents Dinners, an annual event she found problematic long before the war. Though billed as an event to celebrate and advocate for free speech, it has faced criticism for its focus on celebrity culture.

As someone hired to photograph the star-studded dinner, where guests have included reality stars Kim Kardashian and pre-president Donald Trump, she's had a close-up view of the exclusiveness and the controlled environment of the dinner, where journalists vied for access to an administration that they were expected to objectively cover.

"It's very exclusive to those that cover the White House in a certain light," said Mohammed. "We've been lectured over and over again by the Western media about the importance of the neutrality of the news. But it's not neutral when they're rubbing shoulders with the president. At its core, it's problematic and a conflict of interest."

As for own experience with the dinner, she said, "I've only covered it. I don't get invited to it. I'd run around and take photos. I was working, not enjoying my time there. I was covering it as an event. I made peace with it. I wanted the access and I wanted to know what this world was about. It was despicable."

As Israel's daily bombardments of Gaza approach its seventh month, the war has seen around 34,000 Palestinians killed and more than 76,000 wounded in the small enclave. As the war continues, there are growing concerns of widespread famine, malnutrition and a lack of basic healthcare, which could affect Gaza's life expectancy for years to come.

Mohammed and other Palestinian human rights advocates, led by journalists on the ground, are hoping to use this high-profile event to make an impactful statement.

"The press plays an integral role in standing up against injustice by illuminating the truth and holding power to account. Journalists in Gaza cannot continue to bear the burden of doing so alone," the letter reads.

According to Reporters Without Borders, more than 100 journalists have been killed in six months in Gaza, an unprecedented number for a conflict of this length.

"It is unacceptable to stay silent out of fear or professional concern while journalists in Gaza continue to be detained, tortured, and killed for doing our jobs," the letter continues.

With around 10 days until the correspondents' dinner, those behind the letter are hoping to see support from US-based journalists who might otherwise be attending the event.

"I just hope this gives some people pause," said Mohammed. "I hope it's not just us."