LONDON: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has voted to retain its existing definition of who qualifies as a journalist, seeking to calm concerns that Palestinian and Lebanese media workers killed during the Israel-Gaza conflict could be excluded from its widely referenced casualty database.
The decision follows days of controversy after the New York-based media rights organization removed 20 names from its database of journalists killed in Gaza and Lebanon, citing a review that found some individuals had been identified in public records as members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
According to CPJ, eight individuals were removed after being identified as combatants, while 12 additional names were delisted for other unspecified reasons.
CPJ Board Chair Jacob Weisberg said the organization’s board had considered whether to reopen discussions on the definition of a journalist but ultimately voted to reaffirm the existing standard.
He explained that while CPJ periodically reviews its policies—including a review conducted in 2025 by staff and the board’s policy task force—the board decided there would be no change to the current definition.
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Weisberg also rejected claims that CPJ intended to alter its criteria specifically to exclude Palestinian or Lebanese journalists killed during the ongoing conflict.
He warned that such allegations undermine years of documentation by CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program and could place journalists working in conflict zones at greater risk.
The board’s decision came after former CPJ board member and Drop Site News publisher Nika Soon-Shiong urged the organization not to reopen the issue.
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In a letter to the board before leaving her position, Soon-Shiong argued that redefining who qualifies as a journalist could expose CPJ’s documentation process to political influence and weaken protections for media workers operating in conflict areas.
CPJ stated that her departure followed the scheduled completion of her board term.
Under CPJ’s longstanding policy, journalists employed by state-funded media organizations or outlets associated with political or militant groups may still be recognized as journalists provided they are not actively participating in combat or directly inciting imminent violence.
The organization said this standard will remain in effect following the board’s vote.
The controversy began after CPJ announced a comprehensive review of journalists killed since the start of the Israel-Gaza war.
The organization said obituary notices published by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad identified some individuals previously listed as journalists as members of armed groups, prompting the review.
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The announcement drew criticism from media advocates and Palestinian commentators, who argued that reassessing the records could reinforce narratives used to question the legitimacy of Palestinian journalists killed during the conflict.
Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd alleged that the review risked excluding reporters employed by publicly funded Palestinian and Lebanese media organizations and suggested that external political pressure may have influenced the process.
CPJ’s casualty database is regarded as one of the world’s most authoritative records of journalists killed while carrying out their work.
Its documentation is regularly referenced by international news organizations, United Nations agencies, human rights groups and diplomatic institutions.
Before the recent removals, CPJ’s preliminary figures recorded 263 journalist deaths across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Israel, Yemen and Iran since the conflict began, making the war one of the deadliest periods for journalists in modern history.
The organization said it remains committed to maintaining rigorous, evidence-based documentation while ensuring the integrity and credibility of its global press freedom monitoring.
