AP, Reuters and AFP to accept Wan-Ifra honour for Gaza coverage
The World Association of News Publishers (Wan-Ifra) has announced that its 2026 Golden Pen of Freedom award will honour the photographers and videographers documenting life and war in Gaza — recognising journalists who have continued reporting under some of the most dangerous conditions in the world.
The Golden Pen for Freedom. Source: Wan-Ifra.
Journalists injured and killed
The award, due to be made on 1st June during the opening day of the 2026 World News Media Congress taking place in Marseille, France acknowledges the sacrifice and endurance of local Palestinian media professionals living and working in a war zone. It also recognises colleagues injured and killed in the course of doing their job.
“For over two and a half years, journalists in Gaza have recorded death, destruction, and human suffering in unparalleled terms,” reads the award citation. “They are as much victims of the conflict as they are chroniclers of a war that erupted — and continues — around them.”
The outbreak of war, in response to deadly attacks launched by Hamas on 7th October 2023 that resulted in the largest loss of life in a single atrocity in the history of Israel, has since led to over 260 journalists being killed, the vast majority in Gaza. Research by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found at least 64 of these journalists were deliberately targeted by Israeli military forces — an act considered a war crime under international law. So far, limited official investigations have failed to offer justice to the families or colleagues of those killed.
Foreign media have largely been prevented from entering Gaza, unless under strict Israeli military supervision, and the burden of reporting the impact of the war — and the ensuing humanitarian crisis — has fallen squarely on Palestinian journalists in Gaza.
“There is no replacing brave, independent journalism. And there can be no replacement for journalists who day in, day out get the images out, often at appalling costs,” said David Walmsley, editor-in-chief of Canada’s Globe and Mail and president of the World Editors Forum, who will present the award. “The photo and video journalists of Gaza brought the world's attention to a story that would otherwise have been suppressed.”
Wider understanding of the war “has been shaped by reliance on their sacrifice, dedication, and professionalism in desperate circumstances,” continues the award citation. “Their work has fuelled coverage of the devastation of Gaza and its people that has reached around the globe; their documentation will remain a visual testimony.”
The award will be received by representatives of the three main international news agencies operating in Gaza —Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, and Reuters — whose local journalists continue to provide consistent, professional coverage under extremely challenging conditions.
Highlighting the work of journalists in Gaza
Included in the World News Media Congress programme, and as part of the Golden Pen of Freedom award presentation, Wan-Ifra will host an exclusive exhibition showcasing award-winning photographers whose work has informed global understanding of the war in Gaza.
Featuring a selection of images that capture the narrative of the conflict, and in particular the human tragedy underlying it, the exhibition is a collaboration between Agence France-Presse (AFP), The Associated Press (AP), and Reuters, and will be prominently displayed during the event.
The Congress programme will also feature a special screening of the award-winning film Inside Gaza’ on Tuesday, 2nd June, followed by a discussion on lessons learned from the crisis for newsrooms worldwide. The documentary follows AFP's team of Palestinian journalists in the aftermath of the 7th October attacks when the territory was closed off to the international media. The landmark documentary by Hélène Lam Trong offers a rare and unique insider’s view on the challenges of reporting from Gaza during the war.