At UN,
Protection of
Journalists Is
Selective,
Based on
Content &
Medium
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 7 --
When on the
topic of protection
of journalists
the Qatari
National
Committee for
Human Rights
brought a
delegation to
the UN on
Friday, it
seemed a
no-brainer to
ask if they
included in
their
definition of
journalism
state media in
Syria and
Libya, where
Gaddafi's TV
channel was
bombed by
NATO.
Or,
on the other
hand as Inner
City Press
also asked,
bloggers like
those
prosecuted by
Bahrain,
Abduljalil
Alsingace and
Ali Abdelemam.
The
answer came
from Jim
Boumelha of
the
International
Federation of
Journalists:
"some in the
professional
do not accept
bloggers."
Video here.
Gamfranco
Fattorini
of PEC noted
the UN Special
Rapporteur on
extrajudicial
executions
Chris Heyns
uses the
Council of
Europe's 2007
definition of
journalism; he
cited back to
the Munich
declaration on
1971.
Bloggers, it
should be
clear, are not
included in
that 40 year
old
definition.
Inner
City Press
also asked
Somali's Omar
Faruk Osman if
UN envoy
Augustine
Mahiga does
enough on
protection of
journalists.
"The UN has
done for us
very little,"
he said,
noting
killings right
next to where
the UN is,
without
visits.
The
Qatari
Committee,
meanwhile,
through the
outgoing
Qatari
President of
the General
Assembly, says
it will be
seeking a "new
instrument."
The session
was delayed
for 20 minutes
waiting for
the PGA, who
came with his
chief of staff
and deputy, as
well as his
two
spokespeople.
PGA Nassir
Abdulaziz
Al-Nasser's
prepared
remarks, we
note, say that
"Freedom of
information,
which is a
fundamental
right inherent
in the
Universal
Declaration of
Human Rights,
became subject
to threat and
suppression."
Yep.
Afterward
an
attendee mused
that Qatar
probably paid
for the
journalists'
visit to New
York. Qatar
wants its hand
in everything
-- but
does it
protect
journalists?
Will it
promote a
needed Freedom
of Information
rule at the
UN? Watch this
site.
, 
