The press is the mirror through which society sees itself from both positive and negative angles. Given its undisputed role, the press is treated with respect and appreciation in developed countries where everybody recognizes and appreciates its mission. Here in our country, the press continues to be treated with respect at the official level with the state granting it freedom and other privileges that enable it do its duty. We should be proud to see such respect and appreciation coming from the highest level of authority.
It is therefore shameful when some people try to discredit the press by denying it the basic rights granted to it by the authorities. The treatment some reporters of this paper (Al-Nadwah) received from the staff of a local hospital shows the extent to which some people will go to discredit the press.
When we sent two of our staff to interview doctors at a local government hospital on a purely medical issue, a routine assignment became a nightmare. One of the reporters was in fact literally imprisoned by the hospital supervisor and had his camera confiscated.
The unfortunate journalist arrived at the hospital ahead of his colleague and chose to wait in the hospital waiting room. By chance, the hospital supervisor came along and asked why the man was sitting there to which the photographer answered that he was waiting for a colleague.
Then the interrogation began: what are you doing here, how did you get here and who gave you permission to enter the hospital. At that point, the supervisor took the man’s camera and ordered him out of the hospital.
When the photographer refused, demanding the return of his camera, the supervisor called the hospital director who ordered the man locked in his office and then called the police. When the police came, they behaved in a more reasonable manner and allowed the journalist to call the paper from his cell phone.
Contacts were made with the director of the city’s health affairs who expressed shock at the hospital’s having called the police. He asked to speak to the supervisor in order to solve the problem but the supervisor refused to cooperate. When there was a failure to get the photographer released, we at the paper contacted the regional director of health affairs who responded by telling us not to worry and asked us to wait until the next morning.
The police then decided to withdraw and leave the case to the health authorities. We all heaved a sigh of relief at seeing our journalist come out of prison — though without his camera which he finally got back two days later.
What a tragedy when hospitals are turned into prisons! What is left for the press when matters degenerate to such a point and journalists are taken hostage? This is certainly an issue to be seriously considered by the authorities. We know they would not be happy with such occurrences.
