World Press Freedom Day

From IHEU's United Nations Representative

May 2002

The observance of May 3, World Press Freedom Day reminded us of the inextricable connection between human rights, a free media, and a guarantee of democracy. Press freedom is the oxygen of human freedom, and only 20% of the world's population enjoys it. With the task of covering brutal conflicts, repressive regimes, and global terrorism, the need to protect freedom of the press is now particularly important. During recent months media professionals are being imprisoned and assassinated in growing numbers. In the last twelve months 30 journalists have died or were murdered. At the beginning of 2002, 118 journalists were in jail.

A dramatic interview with Marianne Pearl, the pregnant widow of Daniel Pearl, highlighted the seriousness of the situation. Pearl, a distinguished reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped and brutally murdered, while trying to do an in depth piece on Al Queda. Ironically, Pearl was searching for understanding.

The tension between protecting security and fundamental freedoms increases the difficulty. Some democracies are facilitating wiretapping. In the U.S. the new Patriot Bill has made it less difficult to gather information about accused terrorists. Appeals to patriotism make it harder to raise questions or publish dissenting views. The Secretary General Kofi Annan has stressed that counter terrorism must not become an all-embracing concept that is used to cloak and justify violations of human rights. Strong language!

A media panel was unusually outspoken. The panel included the Washington Bureau Chief of Al-Jazeera of Egypt, a correspondent from CNN, a senior writer of the New York Times, the foreign editor of the Times of India, and the managing editor of Court TV. They exchanged views and disagreements. The Egyptian news head objected to the constant use in the press of the term terrorism, while denying it for the Oklahoma bombing. The Times senior writer pointed out that a 3-part series on Al -Quaida had been largely ignored. The managing editor of Court Tv objected to the ruling of no tv coverage for federal trials. The foreign edior of Times of India thought that the western media had done a fair job on many topics, with the exception of some opaque areas such as Afghanistan. U.S media concentrates on U.S foreign policy with good versus evil thinking, describing certain countries as terrorists, while allying with others as allies, for example Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, who are praised in terms of their ruling elites. In the search for understanding one must remember that all religions have their fundamentalist wing. Another speaker pointed out that not all terrorists are Moslems, not all Moslems are fundamentalist, and not all fundamentalists are terrorists!

Some of the questions raised: Does the power of large media conglomerates lead to self censorship and bias? Should the media try to fight xenophobia and group hatred? What price are we prepared to pay for security? Is objectivity possible? Is it better to present a variety of views, warts and all, while carefully undertaking the reponsibility to point out when "facts" are false? We came away with an enhanced respect for the importance of the dangerous and difficult tasks that journalists face.


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