Palestinian female journalists - their struggles, risks, and challenges: A case study of Gaza 2007-2019

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the assumption that safety of female journalists is a challenge for free expression and free media. The empirical data are based on interviews and discussions with experienced female conflict journalists from Gaza, Palestine. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine female journalists on the Gaza Strip in July to August 2019. In addition, a number of informal background interviews and discussions with persons in the local media environment were used to inform the study. The main theoretical framework applied was risk theory. Nearly all the female journalists who were interviewed agree that journalists in the Gaza Strip have no autonomy and are forced to work in strenuous conditions. The local authority in Gaza controls the destiny of those who live under their rule. They seem to consider free press as a significant threat to their very existence, ignoring the fact that exposing corruption and human rights violation is why journalism exists as a profession. The study confirms that the safety risk is doubled by external parties because the journalist is Palestinian. Further risk flows from the internal parties, as females are subject to the rule of an Islamist regime and governed by the customs and traditions of the same society. The dangers and pressure faced by women journalists in Gaza and their attempt to maintain their presence in the journalistic field along with their personal and psychological integrity become an accumulated danger with pressure from many directions. The study concludes that protecting the role of female journalists and providing them with journalistic immunity against personal and professional safety are an urgent necessity.