Here and Here for sources that back up the claims made in this tweet. Additional source for backing up the number of journalists killed in the Vietnam war

  • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    The WWII number is ridiculous - are they saying that among the millions of civilians that died, there were only 69 journalists?

    The Vietnam number isn’t right either - it counts only journalists on the American side.

    Generally when you see someone claim that anything is worse than WWII, they’re not telling the truth. Even the Hamas attack wasn’t as bad as a normal day during that war.

    • mhague@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Journalists being killed almost certainly refers to journalists actively reporting on the war, embedded in units, the ones with passes. They are actively linked to orgs so when they die they’re accounted for as a killed journalist.

      I think including every single death of a civilian who happened to be a journalist but wasn’t working as one would be too literal an interpretation.

      • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works
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        Even then, the number of official German, Japanese, and North Vietnamese journalists that died is not included and presumably not small. The WWII and Vietnam casualty counts are for the journalists of the stronger power fighting a war on its enemy’s territory so I suppose it could be meaningful to compare them to the number of Israeli journalists killed, but they’re not really relevant in the context of Palestinian journalists.

    • Donkter@lemmy.world
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      Yeah I think this is comparing recorded intentional journalist assassinations in WW2 and the Vietnam war vs total journalists killed in the Gaza war. It’s pretty well corroborated that some of the journalist deaths are assassinations but we don’t know the concrete numbers obviously.

      • thefartographer@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Considering how many of my family members died in the Holocaust, this heavily sarcastic statement might be in really poor taste:

        Influencing foreign news, one could see silencing journalists as a form of public relations management

        Nuh uh! Israel would never do that cuz that’s what Hitler did. Hitler’s the one who declared war on the media! Being victims of attempted genocide ourselves, the Jews could never perpetrate such hard-learned lessons on anyone else, right?! Right…?

        • jet@hackertalks.com
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          I honestly don’t know how to interpret your comment. I’m sorry you lost people to the Holocaust.

        • dustyData@lemmy.world
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          Christian ethics and the notion of suffering as a purifying and cleansing event. Science tells us tho, that people who are hurt are more likely to hurt others. There’s no reason for it to be different with societies and communities.

    • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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      Am not sure what people expect. Thousands are dead and statistically speaking some of them were journalists. There were also farmers, fishermen, doctors, asshats and all kinds of other vocations. Not sure why journalist would be worse than any of the others. Also, by same logic this claim of WW2 having on 69 journalists killed is complete and utter bullshit. Millions of people died, probability is there were more than 69 journalists in entire Europe and China.

  • Linkerbaan@lemmy.world
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    Israel bombed a press squad last week with all the right equipment and a clearly marked press sign on vehicle near the Lebanese border. There were no other people near them.

    The IDF terrorists could easily see from their drone that they were journalists. Yet they still bombed them. These are israeli terror attacks hoping to deter journalist from covering their war crimes.

    https://youtu.be/RIymozNfp4U?si=XPaurLdJgkO1VhC_

    Also this one nearly missing a squad of journalists is very a clearly Targeted IDF terror attack.

    https://youtu.be/tjtoslFkPm8?si=V_5LG-GcmJ3cTKz3

    • Katana314@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Not to justify them, but is it remotely possible their fear is that terrorists would likely label themselves as press in order to get close to targets?

      • lud@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        I guess, but you can’t do around killing random civilians on the assumption that they are all terrorists.

      • Linkerbaan@lemmy.world
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        If this was 2001 maybe. These days cameras from drones can count the grass leaves in a field.

        This is the same IDF terrorist group that shot Shireen Abu Akleh two years ago for no reason and then straight up lied they didn’t do it for half a year. And then they admitted they “might have done it” .

  • ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    During WWII American combat medics stopped wearing red crosses because Japanese soldiers would prioritize killing medics, which was a war crime. Seems like journalists might unfortunately need to stop marking themselves as journalists.

  • Mr_Blott@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Just asking, is this mostly due to more journalists, or due to more people calling themselves journalists? Or both

    • dustyData@lemmy.world
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      It could be a factor, no doubt. But considering a couple of anecdotes. One where the IDF opened fire unto a jeep clearly identified as press on the border with Lebanon. And the fact that they’ve also killed hundreds of UN staffers on Gaza during this past month alone. I’m inclined to think that Israel is being at best reckless, at worst intentionally malicious with who they’re targeting. Either way they don’t care about who they kill in their murderous warpath.

      • Doorbook@lemmy.world
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        They literally called or message a press person while live on tv reporting, telling them evacuate your home we are going to bomb it. It is definitely malicious.

        Now why the number is high? Well no one in mainstream media care about telling the Truth so more people are doing that to help take footage, because without a picture and a video people don’t care to believe written words.

          • VaultBoyNewVegas@lemmy.world
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            The idf killed a journalist from Al jazzera only a few years ago and then denied that they did anything, then they claimed some other bullshit and then the US got involved wanting to examine the ballistics. This whole song and dance eventually led to the idf admitting that they did kill the journalist who had her helmet and pass on clear display.

            • Linkerbaan@lemmy.world
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              Shireen Abu Akleh.

              The IDF lied for months they didn’t shoot her even with all the evidence pointing against them. And when the wind blew over they went “yeah we did it lol”.

              The IDF strategy seems to be to just Shaggy defense everything. Somehow people are still believing anything they say so I guess lying pays off?

    • NoIWontPickaName@kbin.social
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      Why did you omit the possibility that they were being targeted on purpose to keep news from leaking?

      That’s sort of a deceptive way to talk

    • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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      Both, but lots of know nothing running around a battlefield calling themselves reporters is a bigger issue these days

  • Z4rK@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I can’t find any source for the numbers from Vietnam and WW2 in the linked sources.

    • Striker@lemmy.worldOP
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      The sources for Vietnam and WW2 are in the second link. It should be noted that nowadays there’s much more journalists than ever before. Unlike WW2 and Vietnam journalists were able to avoid areas of potential conflict more easily rather than in Gaza where Israels approach of bombing the shit out of the small strip of land has meant there virtually no place where a journalist reporting on their actions can safely do so.

      Also I added a third source to the post which corroborates the Vietnam estimate.

      • yetAnotherUser@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        I highly, highly doubt the numbers for WW2 are even remotely accurate. There is no source in the article.

        Quickly searching online reveals at least 48 dead mostly American and/or English journalists, although quite a few deaths cannot be considered war crimes even today - being aboard a bomber makes you a valid target I believe.

        Besides, where’s the number of killed axis journalists? Surely in Hiroshima there were a few dozen journalists, don’t you think?

  • CleoTheWizard@lemmy.world
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    As upsetting as that number is, this is an absolutely meaningless comparison and is pretty misleading to compare them. That number should stand on its own.

      • CleoTheWizard@lemmy.world
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        The number killed by itself does that is what I’m saying. Using WWII data has no purpose because this is an entirely different conflict and also is in the modern era.

        I mean consider how many more people now are journalists. Or how the conflict heavily involves civilian populations directly (WWII did some). Or how our data collection has changed.

        • LadyAutumn@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          World War 2 was the modern era lol. I think you meant “pre-information age”?

          And Vietnam had widespread and extensive news coverage throughout the conflict from multiple sides.

          • CleoTheWizard@lemmy.world
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            Not sure why this is so hard. Call the war of WWII part of the modern era of warfare if you’d like. I’m not defending Israel here to be clear, I just think this stat is not useful.

            Vietnam had plenty of coverage, but I listed all the other conflicting points that harm the data comparison. That specific war has always had problems being compared to other wars, let alone a one sided genocide.

            If people can’t see the difference in these data sets and why they aren’t easily comparable, that’s fine.

      • Apollo@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        … unlike the participants of WW2, who were actively annihilating each others cities indiscriminately?

  • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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    Show me proof they were targeted. Hanging out in a battlefield while bombs are falling, doesn’t mean you were the target

  • mob@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I know, this isn’t a fun question, but it’s honest curiosity…

    Do you think a contributing factor in the number difference is the amount of modern “journalist”? Like bloggers being considered journalists?

    But in the end, it’s all fucked up and every death is a tragedy, no matter the profession or side.

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.world
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      I googled the names of a few of these guys and they got pictures with the blue “bulletproof” press outfit on and are real journalists.

      Sadly these people don’t seem to be random bloggers.

    • Something_Complex@lemmy.world
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      Hey maybe the first guy who went around taking pictures of shit for the newspaper was considered insane by some.

      Idk, but mb yhe they are our generation’s addition to journalism

      • mob@lemmy.world
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        I hate that I feel like I have to disclaimer that this is just thinking, and not justification or anything… But it’s a sensitive topic

        But my thought is if we considered all bloggers as journalists… I feel like we’d have to consider people in WW2 who kept journals as well.

        Again, not trying to take away from anything. I guess I just think considering internet hobbies as professions is weird in general. Like “rapper kills rapper” news story… But the rappers have a few songs on SoundCloud with like 10 listens.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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    This claim is almost as stupid as thwt israeli delegation that wore David stars to say that Jews were treated just as bad now as they were during WWII. Not entirely as stupid, but close enough.

    WWII killed 69 journalists? Really? right there

    • Bondrewd@lemmy.world
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      This claim is almost as stupid as thwt israeli delegation that wore David stars to say that Jews were treated just as bad now as they were during WWII.

      Where is the jewish diaspora from the rest of the Middle East then? :)

      Also kind of remember a certain military operation to move Ethiopian jews to Israel before getting murdered by either some religious groups or the communists, I cant remember.

      • Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin@lemm.ee
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        What I remember is how 1/3rd of Israel’s holocaust survivors live in poverty, and how all of them live with being slurred as Soap by the rest of the Israelis and have their fucking languages banned.

  • Chemical Wonka@discuss.tchncs.de
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    This artificial Zionist State that proclaims itself “Israel” has nothing to do with the biblical Israel that the great Christian mass believes in. Get real

    • NounsAndWords@lemmy.world
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      IDK. They have a conservative government. This is the type of “shoot first, don’t ask questions” mentality they use. This is what it would look like if Bush (either one) or Regan were running the show. Get the conservative warmongers out of power and they’re just like everyone else.

  • cosmicrookie@lemmy.world
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    Conclusion is, there are a lot more journalists around war situations now, willing to take a lot of risk, than there were in older days.

    Joke asside though, it’s too many deaths, not only on journalists but in all

  • speaker_hat
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    ❌ Your 1st source is a “News” website, Qatari funded, called Aljazeera (Fun fact: Hamas leaders are now in refuge in Qatar, and Qatar pays them $ billions paying them). This News website cannot be used as a neutral source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jazeera_controversies_and_criticism

    ❌ Your 2nd source doesn’t specify whether it was Israel or Hamas who killed them. There is no proof in the article.

    Your post is clearly biased against Israel and cannot be considered a source of truth.

    My condolences for all the people hurted from this war.

  • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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    So this idiotic claim implies that among millions of Jews and millions of Chinese slaughtered there were exactly 69 journalists. Bullshit.

    Also if those same “journalists” behave like this medic did where he left injured person lying on the ground and instead took his gun so other person can keep shooting, am not surprised one bit.