The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has removed Nika Soon-Shiong, the publisher of Drop Site News and daughter of biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, from its board of directors. The move comes after a report by the Washington Free Beacon highlighted Soon-Shiong's anti-Israel views and the CPJ's inclusion of militants on its list of journalists killed in Gaza.
The CPJ has faced mounting pressure over its list, which has included dozens of confirmed military operatives for Hamas and other jihadist groups. The organization has now announced that it is conducting a "full review of its database" after Hamas and other terrorist groups publicly claimed many of the slain "journalists" as their own.
Soon-Shiong wrote on social media that she was informed of her removal from the board on Sunday evening and blamed the Free Beacon report for prompting the CPJ to cut ties with her. She had previously asked the CPJ board to pause its review of the list and hold a vote on whether to proceed with the effort.
The Free Beacon report had documented Soon-Shiong's outlandish accusations that Israel is an "apartheid" state committing "genocide in Gaza," and that "a Palestinian child is being murdered every ten minutes." The report also noted that other CPJ board members, including Maria Ressa and Lydia Polgreen, have made similar anti-Israel statements.
The CPJ's review of its list comes amid longstanding concerns that the organization has done little to verify the accuracy of its data. The organization has already publicly admitted to removing the names of 20 slain Gaza "journalists" after their membership in terror groups became clear.
CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement that the organization "has always been clear that we do not include anyone in our data sets if there is evidence that they were engaging in combat or inciting imminent violence." However, the CPJ's methodology has been criticized for being flawed, and the organization's reputation has taken repeated blows as watchdog groups like HonestReporting expose constant revisions and corrections to its database.
The CPJ's board members, including those from prestigious legacy media organizations like the New York Times and NBC News, have remained silent on the issue. The organization's review of its list is seen as a step towards acknowledging its mistakes and taking steps to correct them.
Justin Pozmanter, news director at HonestReporting, said that the CPJ's review "is the bare minimum requirement towards acknowledging they've been misleading readers and falsely demonizing Israel for almost three years." He added that the fact-checkers and editors of major news organizations should have been able to verify the accuracy of the CPJ's list using publicly available information.
The controversy surrounding the CPJ's list has highlighted the need for greater transparency and accountability in the media. The removal of Soon-Shiong from the CPJ board and the organization's review of its list are seen as steps towards addressing these concerns and restoring credibility to the organization.
The CPJ's review of its list is also significant because it comes amid a broader debate about the role of the media in covering conflicts like the Israel-Gaza war. The controversy has raised questions about the responsibility of journalists and media organizations to accurately report on complex issues and to avoid perpetuating biases and misinformation.
In recent months, the CPJ has faced numerous embarrassing mistakes, including the revelation that one of its listed journalists, Mohamed Skheil, was actually a commander with Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Another CPJ-endorsed journalist, Talek Skheil, was confirmed to be the commander of a training group stationed around Al-Shifa Hospital, where he was killed in 2024.
The CPJ's review of its list is a positive step towards acknowledging its mistakes and taking steps to correct them. However, the organization still has a long way to go in restoring its credibility and ensuring the accuracy of its data. The controversy surrounding the CPJ's list serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and accountability in the media and the need for journalists and media organizations to strive for accuracy and fairness in their reporting.