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The Layalina Review

VOL. V NO. 10, April 24-May 7, 2009

Media Freedom on the Decline

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) recently launched a campaign to overhaul media laws across the Middle East and North Africa following the decline of press freedom worldwide, reports The Media Line.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) unveiled a survey exposing worldwide deterioration in media freedom this year. Similarly, Freedom House reported that 2008 marked the first time that decline has been seen in every region of the world, according to the American Free Press.

Independent media in countries in the former Soviet Union, Middle East and North Africa faced intimidation that consequently overshadowed any gains in freedom in those regions.

Israel, the Middle East’s lone state boasting “free” media status, was degraded to “partly free” after the Gaza conflict, according to The National, due to restrictions put in place on journalists, namely the country’s attempt to limit coverage broadcast by Al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based media outlet.

The International Freedom of Expression eXchange reports that this decline, in addition to the continually low level of press freedom throughout the Middle East, has prompted the IFJ to choose Bahrain as its base for a campaign urging fewer restrictions on the media in the region and denouncing detention of journalists.

The IFJ has opened a regional office intended to organize a series of seminars and conferences, which, according to Trade Arabia, has been welcomed by the president of the Bahrain Journalists Association, Isa Al-Shaiji.

Trade Arabia also reports that the Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa has embraced the constructive criticism and has urged the media to support the country’s progress in political development.

In a time where governments are reluctant to give journalists freedom, Secretary General of the IFJ Aidan White stated to The Media Line, “It’s important to restore notions of mission and quality in journalism and get journalists to concentrate on what they do best, which is telling the truth, being independent and being aware of the consequences of what they broadcast and the images they put forward.”

White explained that Bahrain was chosen as the center of the push for free media in order to encourage Gulf countries to be engaged in a debate about democratic reform, and that he hoped Bahrain would move quickly in implementing new media laws, according to Trade Arabia.

“Governments working against freedom of the press are working against their own best interests,” states White.

While Bahrain’s status in press freedom has not changed in the past year, reports Trade Arabia, White expects that this will give the message to the world that Bahrain wishes to continue openness and encourage independent media.

White further explains that “[the office's] objective is not just to help journalists do their job better but also about changing the nature of the culture of democracy that operates in these countries.”

However, The International Freedom of Expression eXchange reports that the IFJ anticipates strong resistance from the governments of the Middle East and North Africa.

Despite these developments in Bahrain, websites continue to be banned, writers are prosecuted and defenders of human rights are prevented from speaking to the media, reports The International Freedom of Expression eXchange.

The Bahrain Center of Human Rights (BCHR) is fighting back against the restrictions put in place by Bahrain’s Minister of Information and Culture Mai Al-Khalifa by urging that awards she received in support of “openness” and “culture” be revoked.

Nevertheless, by encouraging fewer press restrictions in the Middle East, White hopes this campaign will serve as a tool for bringing democracy and freedom to a region where journalists are being held back by restrictions and incarceration.

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