Press freedom under attack

censorship of a Portuguese newspaper, 1970

Many of you may well attempt to keep up with events abroad, says freelance journalist Roland Wood. It might be because of family, friends and, for many socialists, a desire to express and give international solidarity. Yet it can be surprising, to some of us at least, how little is often known about how, and from where news gets out of countries that are not generally known for having a great deal of sympathy for press freedom; countries that will in fact often imprison and censor indigenous journalists.

Organisations such as Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (or Reporters sans frontières) were established to highlight and campaign on these issues. Initially formed in 1985 by four French journalists it was recognised as a non-profit organisation in 1995 as its international work and profile began to expand. It now has contacts and correspondents in at least 150 countries and offices/news desks in 10.

Press freedom can sometimes appear to be a conundrum for the left. “We are in favour of it”, people will say. “(…) except for those over there.” Like it, and most won’t, or lump it but papers such as Britain’s very own Daily Mail are not about to disappear. If you don’t think press freedom should apply to them you must either have some fascinating thesis to support that view or you are day-dreaming. We may not like or agree with being cast as devil-worshipping hoodlums by right-wing papers and other media outlets but if anything it should encourage socialists to take on their agenda and defeat it. If there is something we can still feel relatively self-satisfied about it is that there isn’t a British version of Fox News — yet.

In truth, journalists in several countries today, some relatively close to home, have more pressing issues than the lurid political fantasies of Paul Dacre.

In Iran, as I write, the first round of the presidential election has taken place (on 14 June) and on 15 June it is being reported that “moderate” Hassan Rohani has won a landslide victory. No need for a second round run-off although it is interesting to note that Reuters were reporting from Dubai. Channel 4 news anchor, Jon Snow — one of only a handful of foreign journalists granted travel visas by the regime — was having problems on an evening bulletin when he attempted to grapple with the differences between hard, hard-line and moderate reform candidates (in short, those that have been successfully vetted by the Guardian Council). I may have popped out of the room for a moment but if there was a moderate, moderate reform candidate then I apologise; I missed it. Reporters Without Borders have reported that the overwhelming majority of foreign journalists who have requested visas — usually only issued for one week — have been refused. Iran’s culture and Islamic guidance minister, Mohammad Hosseini, has been quoted as saying that applications would be “closely examine[d]” to keep out “Zionist spies”. Should you be able to prove that you are not a Zionist spy, but are discovered to be anti-theocratic, don’t expect any special favours. In much the same way as if you were arguing with an Islamophobic right-winger you will find little room for manoeuvre or nuance. Categorising or denouncing you as a communist agent provocateur (believe me, don’t try this at home kids) is so old fashioned. It’s simpler to just stop you entering the country.

In Iran itself the situation for journalists has been declining for some years. In its ‘Enemies of the Internet’ special report,(1) published March 2013, Reporters Without Borders understood there to be 26 journalists in prison, 20 “netizens” imprisoned and one netizen killed. The current combined figure is believed to be 54 journalists and netizens detained. The figures may seem small but the country as a whole is believed to only have an internet penetration rate of 32.8% (25.2 million users, population 77 million). It is said that there are more than 150 internet service providers (ISPs), or companies “advertising themselves as such” in Iran but they are not seen as independent of the government. The largest, Data Communications Company of Iran (DCI), is owned by the Revolutionary Guards. The implication is that all the major ISPs are accountable to the religious authorities and, subsequently, the “supreme leader”. During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s two terms as president more than 200 newspapers were closed and more than 300 journalists and netizens were arrested.

Over the last decade the Iranian regime has been intermittently talking about launching its “Own Internet”. It is thought this would mean slower and more expensive connection speeds for international internet traffic but faster, cheaper connection speeds for (censored) national internet traffic. No prizes for subtlety.

In Europe — Greece, specifically — journalism is being attacked on several fronts. Their current government literally ‘shut down’ the state broadcaster ERT; all in the name of meeting austerity measures. The agreement reached with the “troika” (EU, IMF and ECB) was to make cuts in “non-essential public entities” including “(…) public television stations”. The prime minister, Antonis Samaras, heading a coalition government that makes Britain’s current coalition look like a model of stability, has promised the station will be re-opened in August but with considerably less journalists than there are presently. Following the closure of ERT’s three TV stations, Christophe Deloire, secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders,(2) in a visit to Athens, called for a “media spring” in Greece. He also referred to article 11 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which says that, “The freedom and pluralism of the media shall be respected.” Syriza and opposition leader, Alexis Tsipras, has condemned the ERT closure as an “institutional coup”. The Director general of the European Broadcasting Union has said that it may be possible to open a makeshift studio. Amidst strike-action by journalists a “bootleg news channel” has been established for broadcast over the internet.

Less well reported, and often more difficult to follow accurately, is the case against radical investigative journalist and publisher Kostas Vaxevanis, who published a list (the “Lagarde list”) of 2,000 Greek citizens with ‘secret’ Swiss bank accounts in the magazine ‘Hot Doc’. He was charged with “breach of privacy” laws but was acquitted last year. This year he is to be re-tried under the very same charges. The problem is in trying to keep tabs on when this re-trial will actually take place. In the week beginning 10 June it was being reported that proceedings would start within the next few days … but then it was postponed. To October, or August or ..? When I started out as a trainee reporter it was drummed in to us that while ‘hearsay’ may be fun down the pub don’t write what you ‘think’ you know, write what you can genuinely prove or back-up. Accurate information is gold dust. That is why organisations such as Reporters Without Borders exist. It’s also possibly a reason why many journalists are always “broke”.

In Turkey, where the current political situation is particularly acute, journalists are facing increasingly violent physical attacks against media outlets outside the control of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Four TV stations, including ‘Halk TV’, which supports the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), have been fined by the Radio and TV High Council (RTÜK, Turkey’s broadcast media regulator). They were accused of “harming the physical, moral and mental development of children and youths” by broadcasting footage of clashes and paying too close attention to the “Occupy Gezi” movement.(3) Reporters Without Borders were told that the fines were designed to intimidate journalists and impose the government view of the protest movement.(4) Members of the RTUK are appointed by Turkey’s political parties and the ruling AKP hold a majority.

Hakan Aygün, managing editor at Halk TV, has said they intend to take the case to the European Court of Human rights if RTÜK’s decision was not overturned on appeal. This would be a first for Turkey’s privately-owned national TV stations.

In a long speech to his own parliamentary group,(5) prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, denounced activists in Gezi park as part of an orchestrated plot. Members of the Turkish Union of Journalists (TGS) have demonstrated in support of the “Occupy Gezi” movement and have urged colleagues to respect journalistic ethics and provide balanced coverage of the protests.

1. ‘Enemies of the Internet’, 2013 report, available as a pdf from en.rsf.org

2. See Greece, under Europe, on en.rsf.org

3. A recent visitor to Gezi park wrote on Facebook (Can Okar) about a protective human chain of mothers that was formed between the police and protestors. The governor of Istanbul had warned parents to take their children home because he could “no longer assure their safety”. Further, a Reuters report of 14 June said that the umbrella protest group ‘Taksim Solidarity’ were discussing whether to continue with protests following a statement from Erdogan that he would abide by the outcome of a court case filed in an effort to stop the proposed development in Gezi park. As of 17 June it was being reported that police were still using water cannon and tear gas against trade unionists and other demonstrators.

4. Index on Censorship have also been following events in Turkey very closely. indexoncensorship.org

5. From ‘Hürriyet’ (Daily News), 14 June 2013, hurryiyetdailynews.com