An open letter was published at the weekend, regarding coverage of the Israel-Hamas war by all Australian media outlets. The letter was signed by members of almost all newsrooms, including staff from Schwartz Media. This morning a letter from Schwartz Media's proprietor, Morry Schwartz, was published in The Australian, expressing his personal views about the open letter while reiterating his support for editorial independence.

Some newsrooms made the instant decision to forbid staff who signed the open letter from further covering the war. After careful consideration, we have not made that decision. We uphold the rights of journalists to express their personal opinions.

Schwartz Media is founded on principles of balance, objectivity, fairness and scepticism. We stand by our reporting on this issue, which is based on careful fact-checking and context. These are the standards we will continue to uphold.

Erik Jensen
Editor-in-chief