Al Jazeera Journalism Review

Journalism in Spain: Why Omitting Ethnicity May Be Doing More Harm Than Good
In Spain, a well-intentioned media practice of omitting suspects’ ethnic backgrounds in crime reporting is now backfiring, fuelling misinformation, empowering far-right narratives, and eroding public trust in journalism.
Latest Articles
What does Zimbabwe’s new ‘Patriot Bill’ mean for journalists?
As Zimbabwe heads into elections this week, a new law dubbed the ‘Patriot Bill’ will further criminalise journalism

Ethics and safety in OSINT - can you believe what you see?
OSINT is increasingly important for journalists in a digital world. We take a look at ethics, safety on the internet and how to spot a ‘deepfake’

Verify everything: What I learned from covering the Qatar World Cup
Last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar was not the flop so many in the Western media predicted it would be. It taught me one thing - verify everything!

‘Other journalists jeer at us’ – life for mobile journalists in Cameroon
Journalists in Cameroon are using their phones in innovative ways to report the news for many different types of media, but major news organisations have still not caught up

How do we determine ‘newsworthiness’?
Digital media and the algorithms used by platforms to determine the news they send out to their audiences have fundamentally changed the face of news planning

‘Life of journalists is cheap’ - how the Philippines became deadly for reporters
Forging ahead with a career in journalism is fraught with difficulty in the Philippines - and many are walking away. What went so wrong?

Opinion
Ilya U Topper
Journalism in Spain: Why Omitting Ethnicity May Be Doing More Harm Than Good
In Spain, a well-intentioned media practice of omitting suspects’ ethnic backgrounds in crime reporting is now backfiring, fuelling misinformation, empowering far-right narratives, and eroding…
Al Jazeera Journalism Review
Interview with Zina Q. : Digital Cartography as a Tool of Erasure in Gaza
Amid Israel’s war on Gaza, Zina Q. uncovers how Google Maps and satellite imagery are being manipulated; homes relabelled as “haunted,” map updates delayed, and evidence of destruction obscured,…
Samira Mohyeddin
Canadian Journalists for Justice in Palestine: A Call to Name the Killer, Not Just the Crime
How many journalists have to be killed before we name the killer? What does press freedom mean if it excludes Palestinians? In its latest strike, Israel killed an entire Al Jazeera news crew in…
Diaries
Anas Al Sharif; Killed by Israel, but His Final Words Will Echo far Beyond His Death
For over a year and a half, Anas Jamal al-Sharif refused to leave northern Gaza, documenting the destruction and loss that others tried to hide. Tonight, Israel silenced his voice, but his final words, written on April 6, will echo far beyond his death.

Charged with Being a Journalist in Sudan
Between the barricades of the conflicting parties, sometimes displaced, and sometimes hiding from bullets, journalist Iman Kamal El-Din lived the experience of armed conflict in Sudan and conveyed to Al-Sahafa magazine the concerns and challenges of field coverage in a time of deception and targeting of journalists.

From Journalism to Agriculture or “Forced Unemployment” for Sudanese Journalists
How did the war in Sudan push dozens of journalists to change their professions in search of a decent life? In this article, colleague Muhammad Shaarawi recounts the journey of journalists who were forced by war conditions to work in agriculture, selling vegetables, and other professions.

Reports
Interview with Zina Q. : Digital Cartography as a Tool of Erasure in Gaza
Amid Israel’s war on Gaza, Zina Q. uncovers how Google Maps and satellite imagery are being manipulated; homes relabelled as “haunted,” map updates delayed, and evidence of destruction obscured, revealing digital cartography itself as a weapon of war. By exposing these distortions and linking them to conflicts from Sudan to Ukraine, she demonstrates how control over maps and AI surveillance influences not only what the world sees, but also what it remembers.

I Don’t Want You to Be a Journalist, Mama”. Do Gaza’s Journalists Have the Luxury of Absence?
Does the Palestinian journalist in Gaza have the freedom to simply “step away”? How do they navigate the balance between their professional responsibilities and their family life? And to what extent does the duty to report justify the personal cost of being separated from one’s loved ones? Journalist Jenin Al-Wadiya sheds light on the deeply human details that rarely make it to the screen.

The Continent Experience: A New Kind of Newspaper for the Future of Journalism
The Continent is a new way of empowering people through quality journalism, blending the authority of newspapers with the reach of 21st-century distribution. Readers love it. That’s why we built it. It’s a model other newsrooms can learn from and one that comes with its own set of challenges.

Intersections of Journalism and Social Sciences in the Field
The field is where journalism and the social sciences meet at their most dynamic edge. As the world grows more complex, journalists increasingly take on the role of sociologists, without abandoning their core mission to question power and expose uncomfortable truths. By drawing on the methods and insights of social science, journalism deepens its coverage, grounds stories in real-world contexts, and resists the temptation of surface-level narratives.

Anas Al-Sharif’s Killing and the Israeli Media Narrative
Following the assassination of journalist Anas Al-Sharif, Palestinian journalists have been framed in Israeli media as legitimate military targets—part of a deliberate strategy to silence those who bear witness to the truth. This article explores how Hebrew-language media outlets have engaged in rhetoric that incites and legitimises the killing of journalists in Gaza.

New Media Reforms in Bangladesh Introduced to Replace Hasina-Era Journalism
Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has launched ambitious media reforms to undo the legacy of Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, which was marked by censorship, media monopolies, and the notorious Digital Security Act. However, despite promises of greater freedom, journalists remain wary, as self-censorship, restrictive laws, and public scepticism continue to cast doubt on genuine change.
