3rd of May was World Press Freedom Day. The 2024 Day focussed on the importance of journalism and freedom of expression when faced with the challenges of the proliferation of misinformation.

The deliberate publication of misinformation to intentionally mislead readers is not new. The difference is that today social media can spread false news stories and reporting at great speed leaving reliable news sources struggling to catch up and counter the lies.

The reporting of the ongoing slaughter of civilians in Gaza has suffered from misinformation and lies published not just to social media but also into the mainstream media. There has also been a deliberate downgrading of the reporting of the protests and campaigns happening worldwide so that they simply are not reported or feature as short news items.

Today, Saturday 4th May, people will be standing for peace in Gaza on the steps of the St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, from 1 to 2pm. Their vigil calling for an immediate ceasefire and a return of all hostages has taken place every Saturday since October 2023, in all weathers. They are often joined by visitors to Orkney wishing to share in their shock and horror at the genocide being committed by the State of Israel on the people of Gaza. The Orkney News has been at every one of the vigils to document and record the views of those taking part, and why they are determined to continue to do so.

Journalists and camera men in Gaza have been deliberately targeted by the Israeli forces. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) states that it is now “the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.”

As of May 3, 2024, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed at least 97 journalists and media workers were among the more than 35,000 killed since the war began on October 7—with more than 34,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza and the West Bank and 1,200 deaths in Israel. CPJ

As of May 3:

• 97 journalists and media workers were confirmed dead: 92 Palestinian, 2 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese.
• 16 journalists were reported injured.
• 4 journalists were reported missing.
• 25 journalists were reported arrested.
• Multiple assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship, and killings of family members.

The situation in Gaza has been described as a ‘nightmare’ by UN humanitarian official Catherine Russell.  She said that nearly all of the 600,000 children now sheltering in the southern border city of Rafah are “injured, sick or malnourished”, which she spoke about in a video post on X on Wednesday.

Between 29 April and 1 May, OCHA reported that 80 Palestinians were killed and 118 injured due to Israeli bombardment . Since 7 October, at least 34,560 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 77,765 injured.

This includes a strike on 29 April “at about 12:25pm” when two Palestinian women and two girls were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in Tall As Sultan neighbourhood in western Rafah.

OCHA also reported that between 28 April and 1 May, two Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, according to the Israeli military. As of 1 May, 262 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,602 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation.

Last weekend’s film of the vigil in Orkney by Mike Robertson includes interviews of visitors who joined with islanders on the cathedral steps.

Fiona Grahame