Silver LiningAl-Zindani & Newsyemen: Media Professionalism Challenge [Archives:2005/884/Opinion]
By Mohammed Hatem al-Qadhi
[email protected]
Last week, the office of sheikh Abdulmajeed al-Zindani attacked newsyemen.com for publishing a report on the US accusation of al-Zindani financing terrorism. Al-Zindani accused the website run by our colleague Nabil al-Sufi of targeting him and contributing to the Western campaign against him. He also claimed that the report is fabricated and lacks professionalism.
The problem did not stop here, because what comes out of al-Zindani's mouth is considered religious fatwa or edict by his supporters. This is why we find that some mosques' preachers started attacking the website and its staff even without knowing how to pronounce its name. Some people even started threatening al-Sufi by sending text messages to his mobile. Therefore, al-Zindani's statement has already had consequences for the website and its staff.
The issue demonstrates a true misconception concerning the role of the media. The website has done nothing wrong that deserves the ruthless attack of al-Zindani's office. It just reported the implications of listing him among world terrorist financers and presented the arguments of the US and UN Security Council. The website could not have done the report in a professional way without presenting all the arguments. And I believe that it is not the website's job to defend al-Zindani against such accusations. That is a job for the government or al-Zindani himself.
Al-Zindani's statement is similar to that of the political regime in Yemen. I remember that some months ago the same website showed reports published by some international organizations about the dangerous economic and political situation which is likely to lead into the cracks of the political system in the country. Hell broke loose in the political regime and the website was accused of abusing Yemen, working against its interest and damaging its reputation. Very funny, is it not? If you reproduce reports written by some people or agencies about Yemen, you are supposedly damaging it and destabilizing the general situation.
Why attacking the website instead of analyzing the data presented in such reports and refuting them with facts and figures if the accusations can be proven wrong. I doubt, however, they can do that as these reports are factual and credible and this is why they hurt the people in charge. The same thing has been done by al-Zindani. He could have replied to the website, refuting what the report said about him point by point. This could have shown al-Zindani as a man who respects freedom of speech and who differentiates between the job of politicians and journalists. His statement talked about the website lacking professionalism. But, what he has done also lacks professionalism.
Such issues demonstrate the real challenge that journalists are facing if they want to work professionally. Professionalism means reporting objectively without being biased. It means sticking to the facts. This, of course, hurts some people. I think newsyemen.com should not be discourage, but instead continue its wonderful job that commands the respect of us all.
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