The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has voted to keep its existing definition of who qualifies as a journalist, ending a week of turmoil sparked by fears that Palestinian and Lebanese reporters killed by Israel could be erased from its casualty database. The board's decision, announced on July 3, 2026, reaffirms the organization's longstanding policy of including journalists working for state-backed media or outlets linked to militant groups, provided they are not engaging in combat or inciting violence with imminent effect.
Background of the Controversy
On June 25, CPJ announced it had removed 20 names from its database of journalists killed in Gaza and Lebanon. Eight of those individuals were identified as combatants for Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, while 12 were delisted for unspecified reasons. This move drew widespread criticism and fueled speculation that CPJ was planning to change its formal definition of a journalist, potentially excluding slain Palestinian and Lebanese press workers.
Board chair Jacob Weisberg addressed the concerns in a statement, saying: “CPJ frequently considers its definition of a journalist, including a review that took place in 2025 led by CPJ staff and the board’s policy task force. Board members asked for a vote on a plan to look again at this definition and today voted to affirm the existing definition.” He dismissed allegations that CPJ had intended to change the definition, calling them “unsubstantiated” and warning that such claims “undermine the rigorous documentation of our Middle East and North Africa program over many years, while endangering Palestinian and Lebanese journalists documenting events on the ground today.”
Pressure from Former Board Member
The board’s vote followed a demand from former board member and Drop Site News publisher Nika Soon-Shiong, who had warned that reopening the definition could expose CPJ’s database to political pressure. In a letter to the board, Soon-Shiong wrote: “Reopening the question of ‘who is a journalist’ carries profound implications for the individuals CPJ protects and for the organizations with which they are affiliated.” Her departure from the board, which CPJ attributed to the expiry of her term, drew scrutiny due to its timing.
Impact on CPJ's Database
Before the 20 removals, CPJ’s preliminary tracking in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Israel, Yemen, and Iran had reached 263 journalist deaths, making Israel the country that has killed more journalists than any on record. CPJ’s database holds significant institutional weight, used by international media, UN bodies, and diplomatic actors as an authoritative record of journalist deaths in conflict.
The reversal comes after a fierce backlash over concerns that CPJ was reconsidering its definition at a time when media workers face mounting and varied threats. Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd claimed CPJ was moving to exclude Palestinian and Lebanese reporters who worked for publicly funded media outlets, arguing the shift appeared to follow pressure from The Washington Free Beacon, which has repeatedly portrayed Palestinian and Lebanese journalists as militants or used their political affiliations to justify their killings by Israeli forces.
