Yemeni media and unfinished business! [Archives:2005/850/Viewpoint]

Editorial Board
It was quite surprising for me to hear in the news lately that President Bush was concerned because of what the American media reported regarding the Syrian existence in Lebanon. The Syrian-Lebanon case is not our issue here, it is how media is influential in the developed countries to the extent that the president of the United States perceives the news reported by media as a considerably trust worthy source of information. A thought that is almost laughable in a country as Yemen, where everyday there is a new step taken by the government against freedom of media one way or the other.

The existence of free media of all sorts is one of the most important manifestations of true democracy. Print media especially plays an important positive role in development provided it is given the space and the ethics to act constructively and not destructively. What gives media its power and authority is the extent it reflects the concerns of the people and the conscious of the nation, which, unfortunately is not an easy thing to do especially a multi cultural and political country such as Yemen.

Yemen is one of the few countries in the region where media was given – in the past – a relatively wider space to perform. Since the early eighties and with the advent of the nineties the media scene was evolving and maturing. The blossoming of the civil society organizations simultaneously was another push to free media. Globalization is another fact that would have been in favor of the Yemeni media had the people working in this sector were professional and exposed enough.

The fact is that the existence of free media is an indicator of how free a country is. The democratic space and the freedom of speech are patent through what is written in the local newspapers. Newspapers brought to court every now and then and journalists being prosecuted are not good signs. However, credit must be given to the same state that convicted the chief editor of al-Bilad newspaper on grounds of defaming a female journalist in his newspaper. It seems that the state itself is in a loss as to what to do, and the Yemeni media too.

A point worth noting is that while the Yemeni media is engaged in this chaotic struggle to stand their grounds and avail some respect from authorities, they are not aware that they have been distracted by the new consequences from the real issue. This is not the first time this has happened. While defending ourselves and trying to cut loose from the spider web of court cases and verdicts we seem to forget some business left half done hat ever happened to the media law?
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