The Middle East Authoritarian Nationalism, Emerging Democracies, Politicized Islam, War, and “Embeds”

Facebook and the News  Facebook group posts  International news

Osama’s War  Are there “heroes” in this story?  Osama fights for his religion, his family? What does his brother, Duraid, fight for?  How does Osama view Americans and American soldiers versus the way the journalist portrays them? What do you think of the juxtaposition on page 427?  What do you make of the phrase: “He had no time for the nuances of democracy?”  Is free speech and free press a nuance of democracy? What does Osama think of free speech?  What do you take away from this article?  Does it make you understand Iraq any better? Does it have the same effect as the stories on China? Or does it deepen the idea of us versus them?

How to Describe the Middle East? Authoritarian Nationalism overlayed with Politicized Religion

From Ottoman Empire to Region of Conflict

History of the Press in the Middle East and North Africa  During the Ottoman Empire, media was the tool of the Turkish authorities—no history or culture of independent press.  End of the Ottoman Empire brought little change to journalism.  “It did not reach beyond the confines of a traditional system which organized the relationship between the political class and the rest of the population according to principles of obedience and respect for the established political authority  Colonialism brings Western media concepts to Morocco, Algeria, Syria, and Lebanon  After World War II, the press became the privileged instrument in the fight for national independence from colonial rule Source: Arab Media Historical background by Said EssoulamiExecutive Director of the Centre for Media Freedom in the Middle East and North Africa (CMF MENA)

From Nationalism to Authoritarianism 1980s to 1990s  Gulf and Middle East states use profits from oil to fund journalists operating outside of the region to be supportive of their nationalism and authority  Most of this media—inside and outside the region—are controlled by a Ministry of Information  Two counter-forces in the region— politicized Islam and nascent democracies begin to change the landscape for media in the Middle East 1945 to 1970s  As the “nationalists” win power as colonialism fades, they move to take back control of the press  Egypt’s 1952 revolution brings an end to the independent press that fought against British colonialism. Press is nationalized.  Coups in Iraq and Syria bring their press under the control of military dictators  Journalists lived under threat of censorship and legislation that put public order ahead of free speech and independent press

The power of satellites…and the Internet  Countries such as Saudi Arabia invest in satellites and set up stations that support their governments  In 1996, Al-Jazeera breaks the mold as Qatar’s emir sees the network as one way to modernize his country  Like Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew, the Qatari emir wants to turn his tiny nation into a safe haven in the Middle East  Unlike Lee, Sheikh Hamad doesn’t view a more open press as a problem, but as a sign of development.  But it is not democracy that brought about a free press in Qatar, but an “act of liberalism” as Hugh Miles writes.  Al-Jazeera is changing the way Qataris see the rest of the world and the way the rest of the world sees the Middle East

The power of satellites and the Internet  War also changes the media landscape—from inside and out. Americans begin to pay attention to the Middle East in the first Gulf War.  The Middle East begins to pay attention to the rest of the world  Residents of the Middle East see the power of satellite television as they watch the First Gulf War on CNN.  They also see the U.S. bomb Baghdad. They can see what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank. They watch what is happening in Kosovo

Satellites and the Internet cont.  Al-Arabiya—owned by Saudi Arabia  Al Alam—supported by the Iranian government  Al-Hurra—American- backed station that is considered to be American propaganda  Internet is also a place to find websites on radical Islam  Also a place to find mediators of content.

Iran: Authoritarian with an Internet Outlet  But Internet-based news agencies and websites are available—and often are critical of Ahmadinejad administration.  Iranian bloggers have been jailed, but the Internet continues to be a problem for the Iranian officials. “The state appears to be caught between attempting to suppress the Internet and allowing access as a safety valve for Iranians expressing their discontent.”— Freedom House Country Report  Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979 has left radio and television broadcasting under strict control of the “Supreme Leader” Khamenei.  The Ahmedinijad administration considers criticism of failures in the press as “insults, lies and slander.”  Newspapers are licensed and overseen by a Press Supervisory Board and can shut down a newspaper temporarily Source: Freedom House

Turkey: Partly Free, but Nationalistic  Supreme Council of Radio and Television has power to sanction broadcasters, fine or cancel programs.  Cannot “insult Turkishness.” Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk was charged with this when he spoke of the Armenian genocide of 1915 and recent attacks against Kurdish minorities  Most trials against journalists are dropped, but they are costly and time-consuming and may lead to self censorship  Turkish identity and nationalism important to remember in how the Turkish press operates  Desire to be a part of the European Union has driven change in press controls  Constitution does establish freedom of the media…but… Source: Freedom House

Turkey (continued)  Journalist Hrant Dink killed in front of his office in January 2007 (a little more than year after I had met him)  Court banned access to YouTube after a video was released making fun of the founding father of modern Turkey—Ataturk.  A draft bill on Internet crimes would ban access to Turkish websites with content related to crimes—all under the guise of a new terrorism bill  Censorship is not explicit, but self-censorship occurs because journalists fear violating the many restrictions.  Turkish media is controlled by giant holding companies— and use media as a way to influence politics and business

Politicized Islam  Global Reaction?  Many news organizations refused to print them as part of coverage  There was a boycott of Danish goods  Emphasized lack of sensitivity versus the threat to freedom of press  Cartoons of Mohammed  Claims of Western insensitivity  Riots  Violence  Death threats to the cartoonists

What do you think?

2008: State of the Press in the Middle East (Reporters without Borders report)  Iran—still the region’s biggest jail for journalists.  Iraq—56 media workers killed in 2007, all but one were Iraqis. 207 media workers have been killed since the war started in 2003  Iraq—so violent than many international news agencies have left and once U.S. troops leave…what then?  Iraq—ban on filming bomb sites  Iraq—press is told to stress the fight against terrorism and to “reassure and encourage” Iraqis to return home  Egypt—blogger sentenced to four years in prison for “incitement to hatred of Islam.”  Saudi Arabia—monarchy and religion cannot be criticized  Gaza—Alan Johnston of the BBC kidnapped for 114 days

The final questions Is access to information a basic human right? (particularly in a region where information can keep you safe and keep you alive?) Does embedding expand or infringe on press freedom? (What do journalists give up when they give into demands in return for access?

Next two blogs Today: March 18 Compare how an event in the Middle East is covered in your country’s media versus the way it is covered in the U.S. Remember, the stakes are higher now. You have your baseline grades for the first half of the media journals. Now the expectations are higher.  Next week: March 25 Watch a recent speech by President Obama and discuss how you feel about him now versus your blogs about his inaugurations. Have your impressions changed?

Next two weeks  March 23, 2009: March 11, 2009: Screen Frontline documentary “Bush’s War” in class  March 25, 2009: Lecture and Discussion: Wrap-up of “Bush’s War” and Lecture on Other “Embedding” Issues  March 30, 2009: Lecture and Class Discussion: Second Final Essay Question : Does “embedding” journalists—think beyond the Iraq War to the White House Press Corps, business journalists, Al-Jazeera’s supposed ties to Osama Bin Laden, the journalists you wrote about for the midterm—infringe on the ideals of press freedom or does it expand freedom of the press and free speech?  April 1, 2009: Lecture: Africa—Hate Media or Voice of Liberty? Readings: “Forced Busing” by Joseph Lelyveld in Granta Book of Reportage; other handouts and readings posted on website