Al Jazeera Rejects Netanyahu’s Remarks About the Network in His Address to the UN General Assembly

Al Jazeera Media Network categorically rejects the remarks made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly, where he described Al Jazeera as a “toxic” media outlet.

The Network regards these remarks as the latest development in a sustained campaign against Al Jazeera and its journalists for carrying out their professional duties: reporting facts from the ground, documenting events, providing context and ensuring that a range of voices and perspectives are heard.

This rhetoric cannot be separated from the heavy toll borne by Al Jazeera’s journalists in Gaza. The Network has lost a number of journalists and camera operators while they were carrying out their work. Some were subjected to campaigns of incitement and vilification before being targeted.

That such rhetoric was delivered from the podium of the United Nations is a matter of particular concern, given the threat such rhetoric poses to the safety of Al Jazeera journalists working in the field.

The remarks also come against the backdrop of a ban on the Network’s operations, the closure of its offices and restrictions preventing its journalists from reaching the scenes of events. These measures do not target Al Jazeera alone; they also undermine the right of every person to access truthful information and independent journalistic coverage.

Al Jazeera Media Network calls on the international community, United Nations bodies and press freedom organisations to fulfil their responsibilities to protect journalists under international law and to ensure that those responsible for targeting them are held accountable.

The Network reaffirms that its editorial decisions are made independently and governed by professional and ethical standards. The role of journalism is to provide the world with facts and context, while respecting the right and ability of individuals to assess sources and form their own opinions.

Al Jazeera Media Network remains committed to serving audiences around the world and to pursuing its journalistic mission with professionalism, independence, integrity and responsibility, as it has done for three decades. The trust of its audiences and their right to know will remain at the heart of that mission.