Colin Sheridan: What stops journalists from speaking up about fellow professionals being targeted

Earlier this year, Ismail Al-Ghoul, a 27-year-old Palestinian journalist working for Al Jazeera Arabic, was killed in an Israeli strike. Colin Sheridan wonders what prevents so many fellow journalists from speaking up about fellow professionals being targeted, intimidated, injured, and killed in such horrific fashion

Al Jazeera journalist Wael al-Dahdouh attends the funeral of his son, Palestinian journalist Hamza al-Dahdouh, after Hamza was killed in an Israeli strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on January 7, 2024. File picture: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Solidarity. Such a noble concept. The act of standing by someone. The unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest.

Derived from the French…ah, who cares. It’s a pretty word we keep in the locker only to be taken out when we want others to know we care about them, and — crucially — when we want to feel good about ourselves.