Independent Media, Tool of Change [Archives:2000/42/Reportage]

Media can play an important role in the development process of any society. It can lead the torch of change. In fact, there is a considerable mutual consistency between democracy and media. That is, the role of media particularly in the democratizing countries is relatively significant. This is why the Jemstone Network is targeting such countries to raise awareness about the role of media in the development process. The Jemstone organized in cooperation with the Yemen Times a workshop on Independent Journalism last week in Sanaa. The workshop was financed by the Dutch Insister for Development and Cooperation and was inaugurated by the new Dutch Ambassador to Yemen H.E. Bert Ronhaar. The events of the workshop took place at Shahran Hotel.
Mohammed Hatem Al-Qadhi, Yemen Times Managing Editor met the organizer and the participants and filed the following short interview.
Mazen Shwoori, a translator and an editor in the Syrian Arab News Agency, talked about his impressions and said For me the workshop was the first ever workshop I have attended. It was very useful for me in terms of obtaining new skills and experience.
We discussed lots of subjects such as the press law in Yemen and how journalists can make a better use of it in getting more rights. We also talked about different topics related to ways of having access to information, how to write news items and also how to write interesting news stories attracting readers attention.
Mr. Tudor Lomas, director of Jemstone said This is the first workshop that we have organized in Yemen and we are enlightened with the way its gone. We have had commitment, interest, involvement from the journalists here. Far from knowing the media scene here, we were apprehensive at the beginning about the way it would go. We run similar workshops in Jordan, Egypt and we have the plan for one in Gaza soon. Then, the idea was mooted to come to Yemen to look at the issues of independent journalism, and what is good journalism.
May be well look into investigative journalism. We want to see how people would understand those terms and how much interest they will have in those ideas. However, the interest and commitment have been very great. Participants came from different institutions, different newspapers, TV, radio, etc. So the workshop comprised the whole range of the media. There is a real interest in improving the media. It is exciting to come across this.
We had immense support. This workshop has been supported by the Dutch Minister of Development and Collaboration. They have a program operating within the middle East region to increase interest in issues of free media, try to encourage more democracy and more involvement of people in socio-economic development. That is part of the program that is carrying on and we hope to carry on with them as well. The new Dutch Ambassador to Yemen has been extremely supportive and he said at the beginning of the workshop that if we could come up with other proposals, or more correctly, if the media in Yemen can come up with proposals for training and development of the media, he would be extremely sympathetic to these ideas. Last night we had a long, thorough discussion with colleagues, Ambassador and his colleagues about some of the ideas that we might be able to consider. The group here is keen about the follow-up workshop. I think we laid the ground- work here, but I would like to do some work on issues of developing stories, how to write researches and how to find out facts. Its not easy to find facts and this is applicable to every country. It needs commitment, hard work and experience from the journalists. Some of the people here have experienced a lot. However, they lack the opportunity to share their experience. So the idea is to share experiences from other countries. This time we brought with us to the workshop Mr. Yaya Shokair, a very good journalist from Jordan. We have another participant from Syrian Arab News Agency with his experience. We have the Middle East Editor of the Guardian Newspaper, Brian Whitaker. Hes been long interested in Yemen and is very much experienced in investigative journalism. Besides, the local lawyers and local correspondents from al-Jazira. All are willing to have their experience to be questioned, to have ideas discussed and searched through. I think if you talk to the participants, I am delighted how enthusiastic they still are after four long days of hard work. We used to start before nine oclock. One day we went until after seven. This is unusual here, right the way through and they are still there. They came back the next day for more of this sort of long discussion. Today we are on the fourth day and they are all saying to me that it should have been longer and we need more.
Mr. Mohammed al-Dailami, Saba News Agency, said During the four days we have acquired all that is new and applied in international journalism. Many people used to think that journalism is a career and not a mission. Those working in the field of journalism should be very committed and interested in journalism. All the participants have been exposed to the elements that makes a good journalism.
We hope that such workshops will be continued and will be organized in future. I also hope that there will be some connection network between journalists.
Yahya Shuqair, from Jordan, said This is my first time to come to Yemen to participate in this workshop. It was such a lovely opportunity to come here to see the condition of press freedom in the participants countries. I have come out with a good vision about press freedom in Yemen and the legal framework. Some Yemeni lawyers gave a vivid picture of the legal framework. I observed that there are many rights for journalists that might be asserted if they always refer to law.
There are some rights that journalists are not aware of. When their rights are violated, they seem only to complain and that is not enough. They do not refer to the law to take their rights. For example, the law stipulates that they have a right to have access to information. Therefore, they must have access to information. If the government refuses this right, journalists should refer to the law. So I do encourage Yemeni journalists to push themselves and work within the law. They should also try their best to make connection network with Yemeni lawyers.
Doaa al-Kadri, al-Ayam Newspaper, said I have benefited by getting a lot of new ideas pertaining to independent journalism from this workshop. We have attended interesting and exciting discussions with Jemstone director Mr. Tudor who highlighted the importance of objectivity and precision in good journalism.
Khalid al-Anssi, lawyer who has already taken up many cases related to the press, said It was such a wonderful time to be here and listen to the lecturers. I was nominated by Mr. Mohammed Naji Allaw who was supposed to participate in the workshop. However, he was busy preparing the procedures to travel to a conference on human rights in Morocco. I have understood much about the difficulties of journalists and the press here in Yemen. I have also shared the experience of other qualified people in the field of journalism. I have also provided the participants with my experience. I tried to explain the legal framework according to the law looking for some solutions to the problems of journalists. We also pointed out that there are some issues that are not settled by law.
I believe that this workshop will help me a lot as a human rights development awareness activist. It will also help me when dealing with issues of human rights in a newspaper that we are going to publish as a part of the human rights association activities in which I am a member.

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