Arab and international legal and media experts recently outlined international standards to protect the right of journalists to publish the truth and to expose corruption keeping in mind international standards of defamation and libel laws.
Media law in the Gulf was the theme of a seminar held recently in Amman, Jordan, in which journalists from Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen discussed media opportunities and challenges. The seminar was co-organized by the Center for Research and International Exchange “IREX” (an international nonprofit organization engaged in strengthening independent media and fostering pluralistic civil society development) and the Center for the Protection and Freedom of Journalists in Jordan.
A most impressive and enlightening presentation was delivered by Dr. Richard Winfield, chairman of the World Press Freedom Committee and a communications lawyer who teaches at Colombia Law School and Fordham University of Law. Winfield’s paper was about the connection between law, a free press and economic growth in developing countries. He talked about laws that protect a free and independent press, and laws that ensure a sense of transparency that can help the press contribute to a nation’s economic well-being. “A free press is an engine for economic growth. Corruption at the governmental, judicial and corporate levels stands as a major obstacle to economic development,” he said, adding that corruption kills foreign investment and discourages local businesses from growing and becoming prosperous.
Dr. Winfield emphasized the need to have media laws and independent judges that would protect investigation into corruption. Without protection, reporters would be potentially punished, newspapers would be closed down, and TV stations would be pulled off the air. Dr. Winfield stressed the need for the media to contribute toward improving the lives of people and the importance of the law in helping the media perform that role correctly and properly.
During the two-day seminar, prominent international legal advisers and media participants from the Gulf discussed international models and ways to adopt common principles for a new legal framework in the Gulf.
Another global figure attending the seminar was Daniel Simons from an organization called Article 19 UK, a British nongovernmental organization which takes its name and purpose from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights.
Article 19 stipulates, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
Simons explained that among the various functions of his organization was the monitoring of individual countries to see whether they complied with international standards in protecting the rights to freedom of expression. Simons’ organization also works at the governmental and intergovernmental level in order to promote greater respect for this fundamental right.
Other sessions included presentations by European and American lawyers who discussed global models from the US and Europe, and Arab media law experts who outlined the universal principles that could or should be applied in the Gulf.
The seminar was an enriching and thought-provoking event in which professionals from the Gulf and Yemen shared their experiences and discussed the legal frameworks that govern their media and press publications. They were able to collectively identify the core legal problems and deficiencies that stand in the way of a free press in their countries. They also came up with an action plan to support one another and gain support from international media standards in order to apply principles of freedom of expression in Gulf countries.
After two days of discussions about the legal environment of the media in the Gulf and after reviewing the international principles that govern media law in democratic countries, the Middle Eastern media professionals stressed the need for a free press and outlined the following seven recommendations to support political, economic and social reforms in fighting corruption in their countries.
1. Work with civil society and encourage organizations to present reports to international committees concerned with the freedom of expression and also provide suitable Arab and international expertise for such committees to carry out their roles efficiently.
2. Establish a Gulf council to monitor violations against freedom of expression and to draw a unified strategy to defend journalists and media professionals.
3. Organize a series of debates to assess the legal direction of the media and to ensure the implementation of media laws. These debates would measure the level of media conformity with international principles of freedom of expression laws.
4. Provide opportunities of professional international exchange to educate Gulf lawyers about the mechanisms of defending media professionals and in particular applying media international principles to upgrade national laws.
5. To raise the awareness of media professionals and develop their legal skills by offering training and conducting workshops.
6. Establish legal assistance units to defend and protect media professionals who possess the courage and skills to speak the truth against corruption.
7. Organize a series of debates with members of Parliament to stress the importance of a free press to support the political reform movement and emphasize the role that the media can play in improving the lives of people and the importance of the law in helping the media perform that role.
The participants concluded their recommendations by stating their conviction that the political reform movement and development cannot succeed without the freedom of the press and without easy access of information that is a right for all of society to access. The media professionals promised to work toward a free press in their countries and to accomplish this goal within two years by the year 2009.
A free press is the ticket to progress and development. According to a World Bank report, “Across both developing and industrial countries, newspapers, broadcasts and new media such as the Internet have promoted competition in economic and political markets, and helped create incentives for public and private agents to become more accountable. And the media can empower people, including the poor, by giving them a platform for voicing diverse opinions, participating in governance, and engaging in markets.”
Saudi Arabia is witnessing a new era of reforms in which the media has been given the freedom to take on issues that were taboo in the past. The media’s criticism of the judiciary and government departments as well as the highlighting of social ills is a healthy sign toward achieving progress and development. However, more should be done to empower media professionals in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf to make them aware of their responsibilities toward their societies. Governments of the Gulf states and Yemen need to recognize that an independent free press is an engine for economic growth.
— Samar Fatany is a Jeddah-based radio journalist.
