The "Without Free Media, There is No Democracy" conference, held on Tuesday. 

Hundreds gather for conference entitled 'Without Free Media, There is No Democracy,' where speakers warn of a government intent on 'silencing, shutting people up, drafting laws that shut down media outlets.'

Hundreds of Israeli journalists gathered on Tuesday morning in Tel Aviv for an emergency conference, sounding the alarm as the government continues to advance initiatives that threaten the country's freedom of speech and press.

The conference, titled "Without Free Media, There is No Democracy," was organized by the Union of Journalists in Israel and the Israel Press Council, which represent Israeli broadcast and print journalists.

It focused on the threats that current legislation and government decisions pose to the freedom of Israeli news outlets, rather than on the restrictions facing foreign media under laws like the Al Jazeera law or Israel's refusal to allow journalists into Gaza. Participants included writers, editors, producers and other staff from a range of Israeli news organizations.

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