Breaking Control on Media Coverage of Sada’a Fight [Archives:2007/1058/Opinion]
By Mohammed Al-Qadhi
It can not really continue to go like this. A complete ban is imposed on the media reporters who would like to go to Sada'a to cover the ongoing fight between the government troops and the al-Houthi supporters since last January. It is truly a shame that no one either from the journalists or even the politicians know what is going on the ground.
We, as reporters for foreign media, can no longer depend on what the state-run media reports. Every now and then, since the eruption of the third round of the fight, we hear government officials, sometimes unidentified sources, claiming they are about to finish the confrontation and crack down on al-Houthis. But, on reality the situation is completely different as al-Houthis are showing more ability to resist and they are trying their best to internationalize the problem, involving some regional and even international players.
Some TV reporters could at least reach some of the areas in Sada'a in the first and second rounds of the fight in 2004 and 2005. But, now everything is blocked. The government is fooling not only the journalists but the public at large.
The government claims to be democratic and underpin that the people have the constitutional right to be informed, but nothing goes on practice. The government is even irritated by reports some journalists are trying to do on the situation in Sada'a. They do not want to give us information; they do not want us go to Sada'a and they allege to be democratic and free.
Hey guys wake up! Democracy is not a show but a concrete practice. Democracy is there in the afflicted Lebanon where we can see the TV reporters are covering the fight in Nahr al-Barid camp live; where TV reporters and security investigators were seen sitting on the ditch caused by the terrorist explosion of Thursday's night, doing their job. There is no way to compare that with our situation. We were behaving like thieves, moving secretly in the alleys of the streets, trying to get some information or shoot some pictures of the explosion in the weapons depot at Nuqum military camp some days ago. Some cameramen were harassed and their cameras were seized by the police for several days.
I suggested some idea last week and discussed it with some of my colleagues; I said we should decide together as reporters of foreign media to go together on one bus to Sada'a. If the government wants to stop us, it is okay. But, we have to make an endeavor to break this terrible control on our work for if we do not take an action now, the future of media is at stake.
Mohammed Al-Qadhi ([email protected]) is a Yemeni journalist and columnist.
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