Sarawak Tribune Issues Apology After Mistakenly Referring to Al Jazeera’s Fallen Journalist as a Militant

The Sarawak Tribune posted the article titled “Militant Using Press Cover Eliminated” on August 12, 2025. However, the “militant” mentioned in the article was actually Anas Al-Sharif, an Al Jazeera journalist who was tragically killed in an attack by Israeli forces while covering the ongoing war in Palestine.

In addition to Anas, other members of the Al Jazeera media team were also reportedly killed in a targeted attack by Israeli forces on a camp that housed journalists.

Anas leaves behind his wife and two children.

Sarawak Tribune issues public apology

In a post on Facebook, the newspaper issued a public apology for the article. Additionally, Sarawak Tribune firmly rejected claims that its publication promotes Zionist narratives.

“We acknowledge that parts of the article lacked the clarity, depth, and sensitivity such a tragic story deserved. We unreservedly apologise to Anas's family, colleagues, and our readers for any distress caused. The Sarawak Tribune has never and will never endorse any agenda that undermines the rights, dignity, or safety of journalists and civilians.”

Meanwhile, local politician Nik Nazmi bin Nik Ahmad took to social media to condemn Sarawak Tribune for its original article on Anas Al-Sharif. He also described the newspaper’s apology as “a hollow afterthought.”

It is disgraceful that the “Sarawak Tribune”, in its 12 August 2025 coverage of the killing of Al-Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif, chose to describe him as a “Militant using press cover” in its headline.Anas was killed on 10 August 2025 in an Israeli airstrike alongside… pic.twitter.com/kuqzLm7Oty

— 🇲🇾 Nik Nazmi (@niknazmi) August 13, 2025

Malaysians have also condemned Sarawak Tribune for the insensitive article, with many calling on authorities to revoke the publication’s license.

“Sarawak Tribune, what the heck? Shameful and disgraceful to your journalism. You just copy news from overseas and post it without verification. This shows the level of journalism in your company. Now face the anger.”