The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is exploring the possibility of extending the use of technological tools to reduce conflict and empower youth in the Arab world, writes Sven Lindholm of USAID's Frontline.

USAID, working with the Beirut-based Social Media Exchange (SMEx), has been promoting the use of social media tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, in Lebanon.

In 2009, SMEx trained 25 Lebanese youth in new media technologies, “using youth activism as a springboard to address tensions,” writes Lindholm. The training program led to the creation of several projects, such as Building a Culture of Peace, which provides multimedia training to students with a focus on conflict resolution.

However, media development in the Middle East has encountered many obstacles. Heavy regulation continues to plague those in the region who are journalists, especially bloggers.

“For journalists in the Lebanese republic, 2009 was a year of sackings and assaults,” comment Patrick Galey and Carol Rizk for The Daily Star, who recount the major issues faced by journalists in 2009.

Similarly, a report published by The SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom detailed the state of journalism in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine.

The report indicates that journalists in those countries face heavy regulation, dismissals, lawsuits and in some cases, assault. In one incident, a mob attacked a crew from the Hezbollah-sponsored Al-Manar station following a soccer match at the Beirut municipal stadium. While some of the attackers hurled stones, others fired shots at crew members.

The report also reveals that assaults on journalists and reporters have become more sophisticated, largely attributed to the recent economic upheavals in the region. In late 2009, publications dismissed numerous journalists due to the economic environment. However, some doubt that financial issues were the sole reason behind the dismissals.

“This phenomenon provoked a heated debate between those who agreed with the institutions' financial motives, those who argued that political reasons were behind some dismissals, and those who feared that the measures that were taken represented and indirect message to 'tame' journalists,” explained the report.

According to The Daily Star, the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar fired approximately 50 employees. At LBC television, dozens of employees were fired as a result of a battle between the Lebanese Forces and LBC chairman Pierre Daher.

Despite the negative conclusions of the report, Maryam Al-Bassam, director of news and political programs at Al-Jadeed television, puts things into a historical perspective. In comparison to previous years, when conflicts were raging in the region, Al-Bassam believes that 2009 was “easier on journalists.”

Abbas Al-Lawati at Gulf News approaches another side of the debate, touching on litigations and legal entanglements. Last year, Hetta, an online magazine based in the UAE, was sued for defamation.

Ahmad Mohammad Bin Gareeb, Hetta's editor-in-chief, commented that the ruling contained an “underlying message to online publications, including bloggers and discussion forum administrations, that they could also face similar consequences for content they publish online."

“That is going to go further to discourage publications from criticizing officials,” said Bin Gareeb, referring to the damage that such court cases cause for small publications with limited finances.

However, Sami Al-Reyami, editor-in-chief of Emarat Al-Youm, viewed the issue in a different light. “Many of these online magazines are not bound by the codes of ethics and style that newspapers are bound by ... How can we consider them to be journalistic publications?” he asked.

Chairman of the UAE Journalists Association, Mohammad Yousuf, concurred with Al-Reyami. “You often find owners of websites and blogs saying they are not bound by the standards of journalism because they are online only. But when they get in trouble they often expect to be treated as journalists,” he stated.

Bin Gareeb continued to protest over the implications of regulations and lawsuits regarding any publication. “In other countries, when a media outlet exposes a politician, an investigation is opened on the official in question. Here, we are investigating the messenger and no one asks about the official in question,” he said.

“What we have said time and time again is that absolutely no one benefits from the closure of newspapers,” maintained Mohammad Yousuf. “In fact, more people suffer because of it. This is just a form of collective punishment.”