Photojournalist quits, accuses Reuters of justifying Israel’s journalist killings, sanitising war crimes

Valerie Zink, a Canadian photojournalist who worked with Reuters for eight years, has resigned in protest against the agency’s coverage of Gaza, with her decision framed by wider accusations that Reuters, like much of Western media, has served as a conveyor belt for Israeli propaganda, sanitising war crimes and dehumanising victims, abandoning colleagues and their stated commitment to ethical reporting, and repeating claims without credibility by portraying journalists as Hamas members to justify their killing.

Zink denounced the agency’s role in what she described as enabling and legitimising the systematic assassination of journalists in Gaza, where 246 have been killed since Israel’s bombardment began in October 2023, making it the deadliest conflict for media workers in modern history. She argued that Western outlets have amplified Israeli fabrications, creating conditions in which journalists are not only targeted but discredited after death.

She highlighted the killing of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, who, after more than 650 days of frontline reporting, was killed in Gaza City on 10 August, despite receiving international recognition for his work.

Zink condemned Reuters for publishing Israel’s assertion that Al-Sharif was a Hamas operative, a claim that groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists described as a dangerous smear campaign, noting that such narratives have been repeated across Western outlets to justify attacks on the press.

She drew attention to the attack on Nasser Hospital, where five journalists, including Reuters cameraman Hossam Al-Masri, were among 20 people killed in what was reported as a “double tap” strike. She contended that by uncritically repeating Israeli claims, Western media outlets have provided legitimacy to such actions and contributed to the erosion of protections guaranteed to journalists under international law.

Her resignation also underscored her personal history of solidarity with Palestine, as she first became active in the movement during the Second Intifada when she worked as a medic in the West Bank and Gaza. More recently, she was involved in a ceasefire protest at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building and has been active in campaigns advocating access to services for refugees and undocumented migrants in Canada.

Rights groups have stressed that many of the journalists killed in Gaza were clearly identified by press markings and professional equipment, and that their repeated targeting constitutes a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.