Arab Broadcast Charter Stirs Hornets' Nest

Freewheeling Lebanese broadcasters and maverick Qatari channel Al Jazeera's officials were aghast when Arab governments adopted a satellite broadcasting charter meant to gag journalists' criticism of their unpopular governments.

"It's an exercise in futility in this day and age of 21st century media and dissemination through the Internet," popular talk show host Marcel Ghanem of Lebanon's LBCI TV told a packed auditorium of American University of Beirut students.

Ghanem, no stranger to controversy, has often offered a platform to vocal critics of his own government, but was quick to tell the students he equally welcomed opposing viewpoints.

The charter comes in the wake of Arab governments' further attempts to tighten media censorship as over 300 satellite channels in the region compete for airtime and for support of increasingly restive journalists.

The charter entitled "Principles for Organizing Satellite Radio and TV Broadcasting in the Arab Region" is the brainchild of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. To date only Lebanon and Qatar have refused to sign it.

"This deal only shows how Arab regimes are manipulating the laws to ensure they maintain a strong grip on media and hence avoid being criticized for their mishandling of their countries," Walid Al-Saqaf of the banned Yemen Portal told the Arab Press Network, a website maintained by the World Association of Newspapers.

He added that with more democracy and freedom, people would learn more and speak out, which no corrupt dictatorship would tolerate.

"It's not true the document aims to hamper freedoms, because we desperately need such a charter, given most Arab countries' lack of legislation to regulate unfettered transnational satellite channels beaming into their territories," Egyptian media academic Atef El Abd told Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

Critics argued hosting orbiters like Arabsat, that carry most of the targeted channels, could lose business if broadcasters switch to other "birds" in space.

The Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) has expressed concern over the Arab information ministers' adoption of the charter that "seeks to impose restrictions on the scope of reporting permissible by privately-owned satellite broadcasters, especially those critical of Arab regimes."

Although the document is non-binding, has not been codified, and no implementation mechanism has yet been devised to enforce it, it eerily parallels existing legislation in a number of Arab countries whose fledgling private broadcasters had hoped to establish a foothold in an otherwise state-controlled media landscape.

The document is thought aimed primarily at channels like Al Jazeera, whose Qatari government has often sparred with that of Saudi Arabia and has competed with it for political and financial influence in the Arab world.

Al Jazeera's long-running Al Ittijah Al Muakiss (The Opposite Direction) talk show aired every Tuesday night is noted for hosting guests who take regular potshots at all Arab governments, except its host country.

While Qatari officials claim there is not much to cover or criticize in the tiny Gulf emirate, editors and reporters at the channel told this writer that crossing red lines meant fast-forward to the unemployment line.

Interestingly, Al Jazeera's famed slogan of "The Opinion and Opposite Opinion" -- reflecting tolerance for conflicting views -- was buried this month when the channel apologized to viewers in a brief statement on its website for having aired an episode of "Al Ittijah Al Muakiss" that featured Syrian-born and U.S.-based dissident Wafaa Sultan who, it said, had insulted Islam.

Officials behind the controversial show that is usually rerun Wednesdays and Thursdays pulled the plug on that thorny episode and didn't name Sultan on Al Jazeera's Arabic website, but its English site referred to her by name and to her unsavory barbs over Danish media's decision to republish cartoons about the Prophet Mohammad and Islam that Muslims deemed offensive and that sparked worldwide riots when they first appeared in 2005.

Al Jazeera officials refused to comment on the matter but media critics saw the channel's apology and decision stop airing the episode as contradictory to its stated "raison d'etre," adding that given Sultan's previous appearances and reputation as a prickly pear, the show's host must have known she'd be a loose cannon.

"Al Ittijah Al Muakiss" host Faisal Al Qassem is a Syrian expat who has turned his show into Arab TV's leading shouting match arena, copy-cat versions of which have mushroomed all over the region.

Meanwhile, the more sedate Saudi-owned, Dubai-based Al Arabiya channel is expected to toe the line of the Arab information ministers' broadcast charter.

Saudi Arabia's Deputy Information Minister Abdallah Al Jasser said the charter is meant to underscore "respect for freedom of expression, compliance with media ethics and Arab citizens' right to pursue major national, regional and international news."

The charter bars "everything that insults deities, religions and confessions and prevents broadcasters from airing promiscuous content as well as footage that encourages smoking and the imbibing of alcoholic beverages," Al Jasser was quoted by the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat as saying.

Advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Arab broadcast restrictions "would seriously impede the right of people in the region to express views critical of the governments and to receive news and commentary reflecting critical opinions."

The group's Middle East and North Africa director Joe Stork said many Arab states routinely use the excuse of "state interests" to jail journalists and intimidate critics.

HRW pointed out that implementing the charter's operative articles would violate international law and standards on freedom of expression, notably Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Comments

[dadw5boys]

Cheny was there thats the kind of thing you can expect when he visits.