Yemeni researchers encourage local media to promote human rights [Archives:2008/1186/Local News]

Mohammed Bin Sallam
Aug, 30- Yemeni researchers have confirmed that the role of mass media is no longer confined to simply performing their classic task of reporting news. Their role should include other, just as important duties, such as observing the activities of government authorities, organizations, groups and individuals.

Mass media should play an important role in maintaining democracy, by disenabling the ruling majority from violating the rights of party minorities. In addition, journalists should undertake to disclose fiscal, management and political corruption, that both junior and senior officials practice.

In the symposium organized by the Yemeni Observatory for Human Rights, participants emphatically stressed the correlation between the roles of mass media and human rights organizations, pointing out that mass media should play an important part in promoting human rights and raising people's awareness of these rights. They said that mass media should disclose all violations against human rights, address public opinion and stand firm in front of any violation against journalists. In addition to clarifying ways of confronting these violations, they should employ media outlets to form public opinion and to advocate for human rights on the national, regional and international levels.

However, researchers have produced a study showing that it is currently very difficult to realize full complementation between mass media and human rights organizations because of three main reasons.

The first factor is that the concept of “human rights””