Cable news upstart NewsNation sent a letter to Israel’s embassy in Washington D.C. on Thursday, requesting journalistic access to Gaza.
The letter, obtained by TheWrap, details an “information vacuum” in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas. The document is signed by NewsNation programming and specials president Michael Corn and president and managing editor of news and politics Cherie Grzech. In it, they make an urgent request for “permission from the government of Israel for our NewsNation journalists to report from inside Gaza.”
“Since the subsequent military operations by Israeli forces began, the worldwide public has had to rely on Palestinian accounts of the war, the humanitarian situation there, and the number of civilian casualties,” the letter continues. “The resulting information vacuum has led to reliance on reports that have often turned out to be exaggerated, inflated, or flat out false.”
The letter urges Israel to grant independent journalists access to Gaza to “allow the public to see for themselves what is happening with food aid intended for civilians, as well as whether Hamas tactics include operating in civilian enclaves, public infrastructure, and in and around hospital facilities.”
“We, as journalists, believe we have an essential role to play in the public’s right to know the details of a life-and-death struggle that will have international repercussions for years to come,” the NewsNation letter reads. “We are asking your permission to allow us to fulfill that vital role.”
NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo addressed the network’s move on-air Wednesday evening, saying, “Many of you have asked about my recent criticism that Israel should allow media to be on the ground in Gaza. NewsNation agrees and has sent a letter demanding access.”
“There’s no way a conflict of this magnitude should be going on without a fair appraisal from the ground,” Cuomo said.
While the anchor acknowledged that Israel’s IDF military and Israeli politicians are concerned about the media bearing witness to what is happening in the region, “that’s only more reason to have people see what they’re doing,” Cuomo added.
“They’re worried that they may injure journalists as they have in the past,” Cuomo continued. “But that is not their choice to make. That is the choice of a free media. And that is a choice that we freely make.”
Cuomo concluded by encouraging viewers to publicly urge the Israeli government for access to Gaza, saying, “Let it be known that you want to see more coverage of the actual realities — the players pay attention to social media, your voice will be heard.”
