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Agenda

KEYNOTE
30 min
15:20 - 15:50 EET
27 Sep.
Main Hall
Against the blackout: +972 and Local Call’s independent, on the ground reporting in Palestine-Israel

The full-scale military assault and siege Israel is waging on Gaza — marked by indiscriminate bombing, mass displacement, and the blocking of food, water, and medicine — has become the most devastating humanitarian and political catastrophe in the lifetime of most Palestinians and Israelis.

It is also the deadliest event for journalists in recent history, with over 200 Palestinian media workers killed, foreign reporters systematically barred from entering Gaza, and major news outlets — particularly in Israel but also worldwide — often amplifying Israeli government propaganda.

+972 Magazine is the only binational media organization operating between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean sea. Local Call is a Hebrew language site co-published by the team behind +972 and Just Vision. Both award winning outlets have, for years, modeled a form of independent, professional journalism committed to equality and justice for all inhabitants of Israel-Palestine.

Over the past two years, +972 and Local Call have consistently published frontline reporting from Palestinian journalists risking their lives in Gaza, amplified the voices of Israelis, Palestinians and internationals resisting the onslaught and starvation, and produced internationally recognized investigations exposing, among other issues, the Israeli military’s use of lethal AI systems, the deliberate targeting of civilians and journalists, the complicity of global tech corporations, and efforts to undermine international legal institutions.

In this keynote session, we will examine the current media landscape surrounding the genocide in Gaza, and the critical role of independent, ground-level, and bi-national journalism in exposing truths, resisting war crimes, and defending human rights, all while working under legal and political pressure, military censorship, and personal risk, in a place where complacency and propaganda are state policies.

Speakers