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January 01,, 1997
How to say
“No” in a century where everybody say “Yes”
By
Bassem Eid
The
components of any discussion on the Palestinian Press is usually
predictable unless it deals with two issues: the press freedom
crisis which is a basic freedom that lies among many other human
rights freedoms represented by the Arab Information Ministers
and the journalist freedom of speech crisis which is a basic
freedom that lies among other human rights basic freedoms of the
Arab citizen represented by the journalists’ unions and
professional associations whom are represented by the Arab
Journalists’ Union.
Around
the above mentioned two crisis, the plot of the play on
journalism and jounalists in the Arab World are built and hence,
two questions are posed: How the Arab Information Ministers
think and how the Arab Journalists’ Unions behave.
The
problem lies in the fact that the Arab Information Minister does
not know all journalists and has no whatsoever motivation to get
to know them unless it happens that misfortunate circumstances
of journalists oblige them to deal with him in person.
There are
persons in power in the Information Ministries of the Arab
countries whom are interested not to get Ministers in direct
contact with journalists. They usually submit to the Minister
their own demagogue comments and opinions on reports and
articles published in the press, especially those connected with
the state politics and affairs, to influence his attitudes and
tendencies. It seems that concerned demagogue persons in power
functioning at the Arab Infromation Ministries deny the Arab
Minister the chance to take affirmative and independent stands.
It seems that the Minister should be always under their own
influence.
In a
conference held in Madrid on March between 29/30, 1995 and at a
UN seminar on “the Ways to Assist the Palestinian People to
Develop their Media,” the Spanish Minister for International
Cooperation, Mr. Don Khasi Louis Desint said that: “ the
Palestinian media should modify its work to adjust with the new
political phase. It is time now to abandon the call to fight the
enemy and to move into defending the democratic persons as they
once defended the Palestinian Liberation Organization in the
press.”
Mr.
Desinta added that the Palestinian media should work in a free
and independent manner. There should be guarantees to secure the
right of freedom of expression and thought and secure free
discussion. Citizens should enjoy the right to criticize and the
right to freedom of opinion. He said that these basic rights are
entrenched in a democratic society.
In an
international economic seminar held in Davos / Switzerland, Mr.
Botrous Botrous Ghali, the Former General Secretary of the UN
said “ The democratic countries are the best countries that can
guarantee peace and can defend human rights... the culture of
democracy is basically the culture of peace.”
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Journalism is an immortal message
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Journalism is one of the viral basics of the civil society, its
culture and accomplishments
-All
civilized nations must respect journalism
-The
basic law that should be abided by in the world of journalism is
: be honest and do not be afraid
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Journalism is a solid instrument that can demolish the concepts
of the world and can have the power to rebuild a new world that
is constructed on a new basis.
- A
nation without journalism is like a human that has no eye to see
and no heart to feel.
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Journalism entered its twentieth century and people in power
still thinks that it is “harmful.”
The case
which we will analyze in this report is “Jenin” newspaper. We
will present the injustice that the editor of Jenin newspaper,
Imad Abu-Zahra experienced during a week without being able to
cancel the closure order of his Jenin newspaper.
I think
to deprive a person from his right to freely express himself is
much bitter than to deprive him from his own liberty. Under the
deteriorating political, social and economical circumstances
that the Palestinian society is going through, the Palestinian
can not standstill or do nothing as he is deeply motivated to
talk loud about them. Under these coarse circumstances, the
Palestinian individual is not deviating in his behavior from the
normal line. He acts exactly like any other misfortune human
facing the same fate. Talking about misfortune can not be
interpreted as infringing the Palestinian press law or as
rebelling on the existing domestic constitution. On the
contrary, it is just his right to talk loud about what he
thinks on what is going around him. Any message that might come
out from the Palestinian individual under these circumstances is
only an informative message to the people around to know and be
aware.
If the
concerned people in power are annoyed about what has been
published, its certain that the society will be in a chaos
state, injustice will prevail and peoples’ rights will be lost.
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