Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

The Al Jazeera English case and the safety of journalists

By Andrea Baker - posted Thursday, 24 September 2015


The recent UNESCO Safety of Journalists agenda is a key plank in the case involving the Al Jazeera English trio who were convicted on terrorism charges in Egypt recently.

After a 19 months legal circus (of trial, and then retrial) on 29 August 2015 the Egyptian High court finally ruled that the Al Jazeera journalists, Australian, Peter Greste, (Reporter), Canadian Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy (bureau chief) and local Egyptian, Baher Mohamed (producer) were guilty of reporting false news about Egypt, associating with the blacklisted, Muslim Brotherhood and working without media accreditation.

Greste and Fahmy were sentenced to 3 years in prison, while Mohammed was given 6 months extra, because he was allegedly found with a spent bullet when the trio was arrested in Cairo in December 2013.

Advertisement

Saturday's verdict watered down the initial sentencing from 23 June 2014, where the trio were found guilty and Greste and Fahmy were sentenced to jail for 7 years and Mohamed was given 10 years.

Greste, who was tried in absentia following his deportation back to Australia in February 2015, and Canadian Egyptian Fahmy who remains in the country, now have 1 year and 10 months left of their prison sentence to serve, while Mohamed has 2 years and 4 months.

Despite the reduction in sentencing, the initial charges against the journalists remain the same. At the heart of these charges lies the question, why weren't they accredited to work in Egypt?

In December 2013 the trio were working from a media bunker in Marriot hotel in Cairo because their local offices (Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr, the Arabic version of C-Span) were subject to a series of raids and closed down by local police.

From this bunker, which the Egyptian authorities nicknamed the "Marriott Cell", the journalists stand accused of illegally mastering a grand conspiracy against the authoritarian regime.

As the UN agency with a specific mandate to defend freedom of expression and press freedom, UNESCO also actively promotes the safety of journalists and those who produce journalism.

Advertisement

On 13 July 2015, UNESCO held its first session on the Safety of Journalists during the annual International Association of Media and Communications (IAMCR) conference in Montreal, Canada.

This session was linked to the UN plan of action to end impunity against journalists. According to UNESCO's data, more than 700 journalists and media workers have been killed in the last 10 years.

As Greste said during the #FreeAJStaff campaign which triggered over 6 billion page impressions, "Rarely have so many of us been imprisoned, beaten up, intimidated or murdered in the course of our duties".

I was the only Australian journalism academic invited to present my research at the joint UNESCO and IAMCR session in Montreal.

I have been analysing the media reportage of the Al Jazeera case by the BBC and ABC, where Greste had worked previously, and by the trio's employer, the controversial Al Jazeera Media Network, which has a history of bias reporting.

While the grand conspiracies are rife in this now infamous, global case, my analysis revealed two differing views about this case.

To the West, this case was about press freedom and how the war on terror is used as an excuse for an attack on the press.

It was the first time a Western journalist (such as Greste) had been imprisoned due to terrorism-related offences in Egypt, amidst fears of a frenzied press freedom crackdown by Egyptian authorities post the democratic awaking of January 2011, commonly known as the Arab Spring.

But to Egypt, it was about the rule of law, as the Global Media news outlet tweeted on Saturday; The defendants were not registered as journalists in #Egypt – said the EgyptianCourt.

On 31 December 2013, a similar Egyptian authority's argument was reported on the Al Jazeera network; "Greste, Fahmy and Mohamed's long-term detentions was not an attack on freedom of speech...the Al Jazeera journalists were working illegally because they did not have press passes, and were therefore jailed because they had committed a crime according to Egyptian law".

But the managing director of Al Jazeera English at the time Al Anstey retaliated, "The claims of broadcasting illegally were arbitrary. We operate in Egypt legally".

Then in February 2014 Salah Negm, Al Jazeera English's Director of News changed the company line; Non-accreditation is a simple administrative charge and it does not result in imprisoning journalists or referring them to criminal court".

In May 2015 Famhy fed into the Egyptian view when he began the process to sue Al Jazeera for $US 100 million in punitive and remedial damages for its role in his conviction and imprisonment in Egypt.

While Fahmy's grievance with Al Jazeera centred on its lack of media accreditation in Egypt, his actions also heighten the global criticisms about Al Jazeera's duty of care to its journalists.

The UNESCO session on Safety of Journalists in Montreal discussed ten broad areas of possible research relating to the safety of journalists, including the aspects of legal, financial, physical, digital and psychological safety, and the Al Jazeera case is a classic example where these issues are played out.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Dr Andrea Jean Baker is an international, award winning radio journalist of over 20 years. She is also recognised as a broadcast journalism and cultural arts historian.

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Andrea Baker
Article Tools
Comment Comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy