Jon Snow: Palestinians pay tributes as Channel 4 journalist steps down
Tributes for Jon Snow, the outgoing anchor of the UK's Channel 4 News, have flooded social media since he stepped down on Friday after more than three decades, and few have been more heartfelt than those of Palestinians.
Snow, 74, is known in Palestine for highlighting the struggles of Palestinians, particularly during Israeli wars on the Gaza Strip.
In a video shared by Palestine Online, people gathered on a beach in the coastal enclave next to the message "Thank You Jon Snow" written in the sand.
The group said: "From Gaza, we gathered to say THANK YOU, JON SNOW. You've been a voice for justice and a friend to Palestine. Your journalism has been marked by honesty, and your principled approach has inspired generations of journalists and will be sorely missed at the most needed time."
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Many other plaudits were posted from Gaza, where two million Palestinians live under a crippling Israeli and Egyptian siege.
"Thanks, John Snow, for your support of the Palestinian people, and in appreciation of your coverage of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza in 2014. You deserve the title of an honest journalist. All the love and respect for you from Palestine and Gaza in particula[r]," one tweeted.
Ramy Abdu, founder of human rights NGO EuroMed, said: "A special thanks from Gaza to @jonsnowC4 for being the voice of justice and a friend to PALESTINE."
Message from Gaza
In his 30 years at Channel 4, Snow covered many monumental historical moments, from the fall of the Berlin Wall and release of Nelson Mandela to the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010. Among Snow's best-known pieces of coverage were his reports on Israel's bombardment of Gaza in 2014.
After a reporting trip to Gaza, where he visited al-Shifa hospital, Snow made an emotional plea to end the violence. More than 2,000 civilians were killed in the fighting, including an estimated 547 Palestinian children.
"That's what makes this something that every one of us has to confront. We have to know that in some way we share some responsibility for those deaths," he said.
"We cannot let it go on. If our reporting is worth anything, if your preparedness to listen and watch and read is anything to go by, then together we can make a difference."
Another Channel 4 anchor, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, described Snow in a tweet thread as "an extraordinary human being" who "brought compassion and humanity to his reporting wherever he goes".
Snow began his career in journalism in 1973 at LBC Radio in London and in 1976 moved to TV company ITN, for which he became the Washington correspondent and diplomatic editor. He became the main Channel 4 News presenter in 1989, where he stayed until Friday.
Channel 4 has said that Snow will now focus on his charity work and on long-form projects.
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