LA Times Bars Reporters Who Signed Anti-Israel Letter from Covering Israel-Hamas War, Report Says

The news website Semafor published a scoop on Thursday stating that The Los Angeles Times has barred reporters who signed onto an anti-Israel letter from covering the Israel-Hamas war for at least three months.

The letter in question, which was published on November 9, accuses Israel of slaughtering “our colleagues and their families” and called for “an end to violence against journalists in Gaza” as well as “Western newsroom leaders to be clear-eyed in coverage of Israel’s repeated atrocities against Palestinians.” The letter also urged “journalists to tell the full truth without fear or favor. To use precise terms that are well-defined by international human rights organizations, including ‘apartheid,’ ‘ethnic cleansing’ and ‘genocide.’”

Semafor reported that “nearly a dozen” Times staffers signed the letter, and that the Times has blocked them all from covering the war for at least the next three months, citing two sources who were familiar with the situation. Semafor also reported that Kevin Merida, the Times’ executive editor, sent an email to Times employees on Thursday stating that the paper’s readers “should not be able to discern the private opinions of those who contributed to that coverage, or to infer that the organization is promoting any agenda.” Merida added that “we must maintain the integrity of that journalism, which is core to our reputation.”

The reported move from the Times received some praise on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“More of this!” the HonestReporting watchdog posted.

More 👏 of 👏 this! https://t.co/fnFovnvdKG

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) November 17, 2023

“This is how you maintain journalistic integrity,” the Israel War Room account posted.

The @latimes has prohibited writers with a clear antisemitic, anti-Israel bias from covering the Israel-Gaza War for at least three months.
This is how you maintain journalistic integrity.@BBCWorld @CNN @nytimes @APNews @NBCNews @ABC @MSNBC take note.https://t.co/4BvKOyrvpy

— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) November 17, 2023

The Times did not respond to the Journal’s request for comment.

On Friday, the Times’ editorial board called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, urging President Joe Biden to strongarm Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to stop the mass, indiscriminate killing.” The Times editorial argued that “Hamas’ atrocities do not justify atrocities in kind.”