It has been
seven months since Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and dissident,
was brutally murdered inside the country’s consulate in Istanbul. His
dismembered body has still not been found. The Saudi Royal Family
remains the chief suspect.
Yet for globetrotting capitalists in search of opportunity in Riyadh, it’s back to business as usual.
BlackRock founder, Larry Fink, recently told The New York Times he wants to engage the Saudis rather than shun them for whatever internal troubles led to the killing of a respected member of the press and columnist for The Washington Post. Other companies, including Google, Softbank, and HSBC, are also planning business ventures with the Saudis, The Times reported.
BlackRock founder, Larry Fink, recently told The New York Times he wants to engage the Saudis rather than shun them for whatever internal troubles led to the killing of a respected member of the press and columnist for The Washington Post. Other companies, including Google, Softbank, and HSBC, are also planning business ventures with the Saudis, The Times reported.
On World Press Freedom Day, as
more than 250 journalists around the world languish in jails in places
such as Turkey, China, and Egypt and hundreds of others risk their lives
daily to bring truth to their readers, it’s important to stand up and
call this what it is: Naked and unabashed greed at the expense of
justice.
Signing up for conferences, joint ventures
and other deals is not engaging a foreign government to make a
difference. These companies, so practiced at wringing the last dollar at
the bargaining table, aren’t there to negotiate for the truth tellers.
It’s all about the money, and the Saudis know it.
The
world is a tough place, they say. But the message that sends to the
Saudis is that they can buy their way out of anything, even killing
journalists. Other countries, such as the UAE, Russia, or the
Philippines, pay heed.
In Myanmar, two Reuters
journalists have sat in filthy jail cells for more than 16 months, and
face seven-year sentences for their reporting on the massacre of
Rohingya Muslims by the country’s government.
In the
Philippines, crusading journalist Maria Ressa faces jail and bankruptcy
for her Rappler news group’s reporting on atrocities by the Duterte
government. In Pakistan, Cyril Almeida faces treason charges for his
reporting on civil-military tensions. In Mexico, four journalists have
been killed already this year, according to the Committee to Protect
Journalists.
And in Northern Ireland, 29-year-old Lyra McKee became the first journalist in 18 years to be killed when she was shot in the head during a protest.
And in Northern Ireland, 29-year-old Lyra McKee became the first journalist in 18 years to be killed when she was shot in the head during a protest.
The murder recalls an earlier
era, a quarter century ago, when terrorists in Ireland, Spain, or even
the Middle East kidnapped and shot victims gangland style. Occasional
bombings were horrific but rare. These days, terrorists think nothing of
video streaming beheadings and coordinating suicide bombings in packed
churches on Easter Sunday. Or bringing down jetliners.
Against
this ever-increasing spiral of violence, any appeasement or apathy by
those who can and should help is a green light to terror and tyranny.
Strongmen leaders emboldened by President Trump’s lack of action grow
more brazen by the day.
On the front lines of this
battle are the brave journalists who strive to report the truth about
the violence and corruption in this world. Some pay with their lives.
Others sit unjustly in jail. They need our help, not be told the world
is tough.
The world’s media is right to highlight
these statistics. The world has become less and less of a place for
press freedom in the last decade as terror and authoritarianism have
grown. Some groups, like CPJ or Reporters Without Borders, or the
World’s Editors Forum, try to make a difference. But it is an uphill
slog.
Still, we have had some victories. A campaign in
Montenegro to protest government attacks on journalists drew the
attention of the United States ambassador and for a while, helped stifle
the violence earlier this year. Safety training in places like
Indonesia and Uganda helps journalists learn how to cover natural
disasters and large public protests with the latest techniques to avoid
violence or accidents.
The rise of interest in the
media from a new crop of tech billionaires such as Jeff Bezos and Marc
Benioff has funnelled money into media at a time when declining business
models are hurting great journalism even more than coordinated
violence.
But the ability of corporate CEOs and
government leaders to fragment the media community by attacking it
publicly remains our biggest challenge. Without the confidence and
support of the public, we are too small an army. And the losers are
ultimately the readers seeking truth, and freedom.
Working
together, across news organizations and borders, is the only way
forward. Raising funds for support and training. Highlighting injustices
when possible. And educating the public about how and why journalists
do what they do. These are our goals this World Press Freedom Day.
The
next twelve months will no doubt see more horror shows and tales of
abuse and harassment of brave journalists. The world is indeed a tough
place. If we can work together to stand up for one another, and garner
the support of the leaders who have the power to wield influence, even
small gains will be worth the risk.
This article is adopted from WAN-IFRA
Mr Callaway is president of the World Editors Forum.
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