The National Press Club has issued a statement saying it will honor the late Shireen Abu Akleh, the Al Jazeera correspondent who was killed while covering military action in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 11, with the 2022 President’s Award.
Jen Judson, the president of the NPC and the land warfare reporter for Defense News, said, “Our hearts go out to Shireen’s family and colleagues. Her tragic death while covering a military action in Jenin was deeply felt across the entire global journalism community. She was a highly accomplished professional and veteran broadcaster, with a wide following among Al Jazeera viewers.”
Judson noted that Abu Akleh was an American citizen and that her loss was also felt in the United States and at the National Press Club.
Abu Akleh will be honored by the NPC during its annual Awards Dinner on August 31.
Abu Akleh was wearing a protective vest that identified her as a member of the news media when she was shot and killed, according to Al Jazeera. Her colleague, Ali Samoudi, also wearing a protective vest, was shot in the back. He is in stable condition.
Al Jazeera and the Palestinian health ministry blame the Israeli Army for Abu Akleh’s death. The Qatar-based network says they hold “the Israeli government and the occupation forces responsible for the killing of Shireen.”
The U.N. office for human rights office said that the shots that killed Abu Akleh came from the Israeli forces—and the US government’s position is that she was likely killed by unintentional Israeli fire.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military operation investigation acknowledged that there was a possibility that an Israeli soldier shot Abu Akleh and that it was not intentional, but it was not possible to determine who fired the shot without a ballistic test.
“We hope that a complete investigation will provide a degree of justice for Shireen and her family—and improved respect and safety for all journalists working in the West Bank and other conflict areas,” said Judson.
She added, “We honor Shireen with The President’s Award for her life’s work—and with the hope that her death will help create a legacy that makes her colleagues safer now and in the future. And we remain committed to efforts that help push for a complete and thorough investigation.”