OPINION:
Thanksgiving is a uniquely America holiday first celebrated in 1789 at the direction of President George Washington. The purpose of the Thanksgiving holiday has always been to reflect and be thankful for the blessings abound in the United States. Freedom and prosperity are luxuries not afforded all people of the Earth. Thanksgiving provides a great opportunity to pause and contemplate these freedoms that are sometimes taken for granted.
Among our most precious freedoms are those resulting from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In part, the First Amendment allows for a free press. The government can dictate neither the source nor the content reported in print, broadcast or online so long as the information is true. Americans are so accustomed to this right it seems unthinkable there would ever be an actual threat to free and open reporting, the regular sharing of a variety of views.
Reality, however, shows us that in many corners of the globe not only does this freedom not exist but the open expression of an opinion or criticism of government officials can put a journalist’s life in peril.
Recently, Saudi Arabia’s murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi reminded us of just how real that threat is.
Never before have American and global media outlets been preoccupied with the disappearance of a journalist in the Arab world with all this momentum of in-depth coverage. Khashoggi’s murder inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey sparked a stir that still resonates and expands. Sharp positions by politicians, media and human rights writers and commentators continue to dominate news headlines nearly two months after his death.
In the beginning, the Saudi government appeared to believe the uproar was but a fleeting crisis and would soon disappear as with previous cases. This was a miscalculation. The crime was full-fledged, premeditated and intended to silence dissenting media.
News programming shouldn’t simply be state-directed TV news bulletins that are presented to the people as a daily bread, but rather a full-throated opportunity to hear a variety of views.
The crime committed against Jamal Khashoggi affects every journalist and writer who respects freedom of expression. The crime imposes on all of us a requirement to stand up for freedom of the press and for the protection of journalists. This is particularly true in the Middle East, so often characterized by violence, conflict, the absence of freedoms, the stumbling of democracy, and often void of good governance institutions and civil society.
Why are journalists attacked, particularly in Middle East North Africa (MENA) region? Is the answer as simple as the absence of the freedom we enjoy in America? A report released by the international watchdog organization Freedom House 2017 showed that Tunisia was still the only free country in the Arab world, but even that North African state saw its political-rights rating decreased as of late. The rest of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa remained with a status of “not free,” except Morocco, which it consider as “partially free.”
Sadly, the murder of Khashoggi is not an isolated or exceptional case. More than 1,000 journalists were killed between 2006 and 2017, according to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report released days ago. In 2016 and 2017, 182 journalists lost their lives in the course of their duty. In 2018 alone, 87 journalists have been killed. Local journalists who investigate corruption, crimes and political matters represented 90 percent of the journalists killed in 2017. Shockingly, 89 percent of the cases show impunity, according to the latest statistics from UNESCO report.
The history of violent disdain for dissenting journalists in the Middle East is long and tragic.
Renowned Lebanese journalist and novelist Salim al-Lozi was abducted along with his wife and companions near the Beirut Airport on Feb. 25, 1980 after returning to Lebanon for his mothers funeral. Al-Lozi was known for his criticism of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and for his stance against Syrian intervention in Lebanon during the civil war.
Salim al-Lozi was found dead nine days later with a bullet in his skull. The condition of his body indicated that he had been subjected to horrific torture, much of it clearly intended to intimidate other critical journalists.
Libyan journalist Daif al-Ghazal, known for his criticism of corruption in his country, wrote an open letter in February 2005 announcing his intention never to write for official media again and saying he was “protesting the attacks … journalists have faced while trying to reveal the truth.” He was abducted on May 21, 2005, and subjected to severe torture before being shot in the head. His handcuffed decomposing body was found in the outskirts of Benghazi 10 days later, wearing torn clothing. The Gaddafi regime was accused of committing the crime.
The young Iraqi journalist Dargham Hashim, editor of Home Guardians Magazine, wrote an article in Al-Thawra Newspaper in 1990 that aroused the anger of the ruling regime. He paid for that article later with his life.
The methods of communicating with the public have evolved over the years, but the efforts of certain countries to try and control the message has not. Current day Saudi Arabia has far more Twitter users than other Arab countries, and the Saudi government has been accused of harnessing that electronic power to spread disinformation. Fictional stories are commonplace as are efforts to deny and discredit any party opposing Saudi Arabia or Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS).
In the case of Khashoggi’s murder, these “electronic flies” have had a significant role since the first day of the incident. Initially, these accounts tried to depict Khashoggi as a traitor to his country, ridiculing the news of his disappearance. Within days their tactics turned, instead defending the Saudi regime through a hashtag named #SaudiArabia_concerned_About_Khashoggi. In essence they said that Saudi Arabia was the only side concerned about the safety of Khashoggi. These social media accounts made accusations against opponents of MBS and spread news of conspiracy theories.
The case of Khashoggi’s murder reflects the power of the media, and the perceived threat to some in positions of power. Therefore, journalists and society as a whole must work to build solidarity based on respect for truth, for freedom of the press, for the protection of journalists and for accountability of perpetrators of violence and suppression, regardless of their titles.
We should certainly celebrate our freedoms in the United States this Thanksgiving holiday, but we must not rest until these same basic human rights are freely exercised worldwide.
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