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Journalists bravely bear witness to the atrocities of war, reporting on the human cost of decisions made by the powerful. But what happens when journalists themselves are the ones dying in a conflict?
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, in just over a month since the Israel-Hamas war began, at least 39 journalists and media workers have been killed. Four were Israelis murdered by Hamas, 34 were Palestinians who died in Israel’s subsequent attacks on Gaza, and one was killed by shelling in southern Lebanon.
As Peter Greste writes today, there is mounting evidence that journalists have been targeted, beaten and threatened as they attempt to tell the story of this war. The Israeli Defence Forces insist they do not target journalists, but Reporters Without Borders says at least ten have been killed while explicitly covering the news.
These deaths are a human tragedy with far-reaching repercussions. With fewer journalists reporting on this war, propaganda is likely to fill the void. Good journalism, writes Greste, is more important than ever in this conflict – and might also play a role in preventing the deaths of further reporters.
“The International Federation of Journalists warns that if Israel has a policy to target journalists, as some news outlets have alleged, it would constitute a war crime. In that case, the best strategy may be for journalists to do what they are best at – gathering evidence and exposing abuses,” he writes.
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Suzy Freeman-Greene
Books + Ideas Editor
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Peter Greste, The University of Queensland
Wars in Gaza and Ukraine have led to increased numbers of journalists being killed, and this is bad news for everyone.
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Peter Roberts, UNSW Sydney
Many Optus users, both personal and corporate, are familiar with technology. They appreciate details, even where they can’t take them all in.
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Mark A Gregory, RMIT University
As communications networks grow, they become incredibly complex. The concept of “three-layer architecture” helps to make sense of it all - and understand what can go wrong.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Infrastructure is always a vexed issue. The program is full of pork barrelling, whoever is in power. Even when that’s not involved, what to build and when it should be built is often contested.
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Andrew Macintosh, Australian National University; Don Butler, Australian National University
For Australia to shift to a net zero economy, its big polluters need to cut emissions. A get-out clause buried in the policy makes it unlikely that they will, and the result will be devastating.
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Tom Doig, The University of Queensland
Jem Bendell encourages us to think about societal collapse in ways that are ‘profound and startlingly original’, with the potential to birth whole new social movements, says Tom Doig.
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Ian Kemish AM, The University of Queensland
Since its early history, Australia has seen the Pacific as a vast, empty region where foreign powers threatened its security. This focus has undermined our effectiveness in the region.
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Kate Mannell, Deakin University
Group chats can be places of joy, solidarity and refuge. But they can also be a huge time-suck, and create feelings of anxiety and worry.
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Virginia Beal, University of South Australia
Federal and state governments have launched a $10 million advertising campaign to encourage more people to consider a teaching career.
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Bill Bateman, Curtin University
‘Assembly theory’ aims to explain evolution without biology. Is it a dazzling breakthrough or an attempt to answer questions nobody asked?
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Michael Westaway, The University of Queensland; Alison Crowther, The University of Queensland; Nathan Wright, University of New England; Robert Henry, The University of Queensland; Rodney Carter, Indigenous Knowledge
For a decade, debate has raged over Dark Emu’s account of Aboriginal agriculture. But ancient food production in Australia is more complex than labels like farming or hunter-gathering suggest.
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Phoebe Macrossan, University of the Sunshine Coast
There is a long history of musicals in Australia, popular with audiences since the 1930s.
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Politics + Society
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Matthew Mclaughlin, The University of Western Australia; Courtney Babb, Curtin University; Paul Roberts, The University of Western Australia
Most drivers admit to speeding and it’s causing an increasing number of deaths on our roads. Using intelligent speed assist technology can reverse this deadly trend.
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Charles Knight, Charles Sturt University
Though Hamas has the advantage of fighting on its territory, Israel has developed one of the most effective urban fighting militaries in the world.
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Susan St John, University of Auckland
Working for Families tax credits favour those in work, yet discourage them from working or earning more. But there is a cost-effective way to improve the system for those on welfare and low incomes.
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Health + Medicine
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Ezra Kneebone, Monash University; Karin Hammarberg, Monash University; Kiri Beilby, Monash University
Children born through international surrogacy aren’t protected by Australian laws.
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Science + Technology
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Kayleen Manwaring, UNSW Sydney; Siddharth Narrain, University of Adelaide
The plaintiffs claims features such as ‘infinite scroll’ leave users less likely to be able to exercise self-control.
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