The call for freedom of expression –including freedom of the media- was and still is one of the motives of the uprisings in the Arab world. Freedom, dignity and respect for each other opinions and differences are very much interrelated and, as events prove, even worth dying for. In Tunisia, Egypt and Libya journalism is re-invented, new media sprang up and an intense debate is raging how to organise the media in a democratic future. In countries like Syria and Yemen professional and citizen journalism and press freedom remain severely under threat.
Questions on how to define the role of the private and public sector in developing the media and how to guarantee –professionally, educationally, legally and politically- press freedom, plurality and access to information, are very much at the order of the day. Not only in those countries which are still in a revolutionary process but also elsewhere in the region.
It is in this context the Doha Centre for Media Freedom (DCMF) is working to promote media freedom and quality journalism from the heart of the Arab world. The 4th Forum of the United Alliance of Civilizations in Doha discusses topics which touch on the essence of the Centre’s daily activities: promoting the freedom to interconnect, to have different voices heard without fear of censorship or discrimination and to further tolerance and dialogue.
Of course we are aware that media may also be used for exactly the opposite: to incite hatred, to mobilise for war and to sharpen differences between religions, ethnic groups and political world views. Ironically this is precisely what some of the regimes or authoritarian groupings in the region and elsewhere in the world are doing. Those who are making use of media for those harmful objectives are however, without exception, against the freedom of expression for their “enemies”. In the end hate speech, religious intolerance and freedom of expression simply don’t go along.
You may object that free speech protected by law has recently created situations like in Norway where a crazy terrorist, influenced by media which made an issue out of the “Islamisation of Europe”, went on the rampage. “Free” media can shape the public’s mind with risk, fear and anxiety when it comes to the perception of immigrants or refugees. The democratisation of the media through the internet contributed even more to this negative phenomenon.
However one might ask: is curtailing freedom of expression the solution? Freedom is never limitless. Freedom should not be confused with license for slander, blasphemy, misleading advertising, sexual exploitation, revealing state secrets and incitement to hate and violence. The freedom defenders in the Arab world who are risking their lives to restore dignity and respect are aware of this.
This is also precisely why the DCMF doesn’t promote freedom as an abstract value. We are actually linking the notion of “freedom” with the notion of “good journalism”. It’s only through effective, balanced and responsible journalism that the public may be informed about all sides of the story. We think this is important in itself and indispensable to promote understanding, dialogue, transparency and ultimately development in all senses of the word.
In the last few years the Alliance of Civilizations has become one of the most effective platforms of the United Nations for “soft issues” like intercultural dialogue and understanding. Next to education, youth, and immigration, media has been of the four focus areas. The Doha Forum tries to bring all this one, logical step further through the linkage between culture, dialogue and development strategies. Free communication and informed societies remain key in all of this.
