this shows who owns 'our free press' on several levels that such a letter is required, and the blowback reinforces that;

An open letter "written by and for journalists" is calling on the news industry to stop "obscuring Israeli occupation and the systemic oppression of Palestinians" in the media. 

Signed by 250 journalists working for some of the world's top media outlets, the letter, published on Wednesday, accuses the mainstream media of "failing" its audience with a "decades-long journalistic malpractice" that has misinformed the public on the reality of Israel's occupation. 

"Finding truth and holding the powerful to account are core principles of journalism," the letter reads.

"Yet for decades, our news industry has abandoned those values in coverage of Israel and Palestine. We have failed our audiences with a narrative that obscures the most fundamental aspects of the story: Israel's military occupation and its system of apartheid."........read more........