Threat of violence silences Palestinian journalists
In light of physical assaults and abuses in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, some Palestinian journalists are avoiding sensitive political and security issues.
![Nic6181194 Palestinian journalists hold placards during a demonstration in support with reporters detained by Hamas in Gaza and to ask for their immediate release on January 27, 2013 in the West Bank city of Ramallah. AFP PHOTO/ABBAS MOMANI (Photo credit should read ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2015/01/160163462.jpg/160163462.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=R-1JWAa0)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — How loud is the voice you hear when you sit down to write a press report? How small is the prison cell you imagine yourself ending up in once you publish your article? The man you imagine pointing a gun at your head, is he wearing a mask? These are thoughts that lead one to delete the most important and powerful piece of information from an article. Some thoughts even lead you to delete the article entirely.
A late 2014 study by the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms found that 80% of Palestinian journalists in the West Bank and Gaza practice self-censorship of their writing.