Toronto (BN24) — Valerie Zink, a Canadian photojournalist who worked as a Reuters stringer for eight years, has resigned from the news agency, publicly condemning its coverage of the Gaza conflict as a betrayal of journalists.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, Zink shared images of her destroyed Reuters press ID and accused the agency of “justifying and enabling the systematic assassination of 245 journalists in Gaza.” She said she could no longer maintain a relationship with Reuters given its role in the killing of reporters in the Palestinian enclave.
Zink’s photos have appeared in major outlets including The New York Times and Al Jazeera. However, she sharply criticized Reuters for amplifying Israel’s claim that Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Sharif was a Hamas operative, calling it “entirely baseless” and part of “countless lies” Reuters has repeated.
“I have valued the work that I brought to Reuters over the past eight years,” Zink wrote. “But at this point, I can’t conceive of wearing this press pass with anything but deep shame and grief.”
She accused Reuters and other Western media outlets of perpetuating Israeli propaganda that dehumanizes victims and sanitizes alleged war crimes, citing investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill’s criticism that major news organizations have served as “a conveyor belt for Israeli propaganda.”
Zink condemned what she described as a “double tap” airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza on Monday that killed six journalists, including Reuters cameraman Hossam Al-Masri. The tactic involves striking a civilian target, then bombing again as rescuers and journalists arrive.
She said Western media’s failure to verify Israel’s claims and their repeated dissemination of what she called “genocidal fabrications” have contributed to the deaths of more journalists in Gaza over the past two years than in many other global conflicts combined.
Zink praised Palestinian journalists for their courage and vowed to dedicate future work to honouring their sacrifices.
“I owe my colleagues in Palestine at least this much, and so much more,” she said.
Reuters did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
