Magazine

I’m a journalist – Get me out of here! (Why media freedom is no joke)

Would a hard-nosed journalist scream “Get me out of here” while covering a war zone? Would she run from secret police while researching a story? Many probably have to - unfortunately.
Reporters in dozens of countries face mortal dangers stemming from repressive governments and the threat of being caught in local crossfire. Some 225 media workers have been killed in the ongoing war in Iraq—more than during World War II, Vietnam, or the Algerian War.

Last year around the world at least 60 reporters were murdered, well over 600 arrested and more than 900 either physically attacked or threatened with violence, says Reporters Without Borders. In 2008, the first blogger was killed on the job. More than 350 media outlets were censored.

Many of these murders and arbitrary arrests take place in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), in the arc of countries from Morocco to Syria that form much of the European Neighbourhood Policy territory. So ahead of World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, EJC caught up with Joe Stork, Deputy Director for MENA at Human Rights Watch, for a look at press freedom in Europe’s backyard.

EJC: Which countries are your priorities for freedom of the press in 2009?

Stork: It’s hard to think of a country in this region that doesn’t have serious problems, where we wouldn’t want to see considerable change. The Israelis have a pretty vigorous press, so do the Lebanese… Some countries have done better than others on human rights reforms, like Morocco and Bahrain, but still have problems when it comes to freedom of expression. Journalists, editors, and so forth still end up being hauled into court and given jail terms and so forth. And then there are countries like Syria and Libya where there simply isn’t any free press.

EJC: US-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi was recently sentenced to eight years in prison in Iran. Amnesty International calls her a prisoner of conscience; but her case is just the tip of the iceberg. Iranians elect a new president on 12 June this year—is there any sign of hope for media freedom in the country?

Stork: The candidate I’ve heard most about is Mir Hossein Mousavi. He’s made noises during the campaign that he would change things, but he has to win first and then of course we have to see what he does when he’s in office. But in Iran the post of president is not the only power; he’s certainly not the most powerful political actor in Iran, though he would play an influential role.

EJC: What are the prospects for media freedom in Israel, after the war in Gaza in January and election of Binyamin Netanyahu in March?

Stork: Previous to December and the fighting and major operations in Gaza, you didn’t have these kinds of very restrictive policies [in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories]. There are some restrictive policies in Israel which are long-standing, such as military censorship and so forth. But the barring of journalists and continued barring of HRW from getting into Gaza, that’s new and I see no signs that the new government of Netanyahu would be any different on that score; if anything it would probably go more in the direction of greater restrictions.

EJC: This year we’ll see a new European Parliament and Commission. Over the past five years, has the EU made tangible progress in influencing its neighbours in terms of media freedom?

Stork: In many countries in the region, if you put the question more broadly: ‘Is the EU part of the problem or part of the solution?’ I would say that it’s part of the solution. Their presence is a positive one. The things they fund are on the whole very useful and so forth…. But I have to confess that I don’t follow EU-MENA relations that closely to answer your question.

EJC: Could that be due to the lack of visibility of what the EU does in MENA?

Stork: Yes, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If it gets things done, it doesn’t necessarily have to be visible. Indeed, in this line of work, in trying to push for improvements in human rights practices sometimes flying under the radar can be more effective – sometimes…

For more on press freedom in Europe, check out Josh LaPorte’s recent article from Prague.

—-
Infographics courtesy of the World Association of Newspapers

Tags: conflict, hrw, human rights watch, joe storck, journalist, press freedom,

Related articles

• UNHRC report on Syria: “A military intervention is not an option”
• EJC launches Press Freedom 2.0 Bolivia
• Argentina: an Orwellian state or a forerunner of media reforms in Latin America?
• Cuttings.me
• Europe, through the eyes of a young Iraqi woman
• Press Pass
• What type of journalist are you? A fighter, a disc jockey, or a waiter?
• How to survive as a journalist in Somalia
• Press freedom debate with Novaya Gazeta’s Editor-in-Chief Dmitry Muratov
• Lessons learnt at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia

• Home |
• Seminars  |
• Events |
• Media Landscape |
• Newsroom|
• Media News|
• Resources

Terms of service and Privacy policy.

Copyright © 1992- 2011 European Journalism Centre. All rights reserved.

Valid XHTML and CSS.

European Journalism Centre

Sonneville-lunet 10
6221KT Maastricht
The Netherlands

Tel. : +31 43 325 40 30
Fax : +32 2 400 42 20

E-mail: info[at]ejc.net