In a desperate effort to reverse America’s negative image in the Arab world, a new Arabic-language television station called Alhurra (“the free one”) has been added to the diet of existing government-sponsored broadcasting outlets in the Arab region.

The new station joins America’s Radio Sawa and its slick Hi magazine as post-September 11 Arabic-language media tools that the US hopes to use to win Arab hearts and minds. Continue Reading »

The recent news from the World Economic Forum held in Davos was encouraging. Computer giant Microsoft has signed a one billion dollar agreement with UNDP. This five-year plan is aimed at bridging the digital divide in developing countries, starting with Egypt , Morocco and Mozambique .

While long over do, such corporate responsibility is highly welcomed. Continue Reading »

Naser Qamash, Roman Haddad and Muhanad Mbideen have been held in the Jewedeh prison south west of Amman since January 17th. They are held in jail pending a state security trial looking into the government’s case against their newspaper Al Hellal. The weekly paper published an article dealing with the personal life of the Prophet Muhammad. Although the article is mostly a collection of legally published materials, including books available in Jordanian prisons, the government feels that the article touches on religious sensitivities. But while Jordanian law provides for a civilian prosecution of journalists for inflaming religious sensitivities, the government has chosen to use the state security courts for this case. Using the temporary law 150, which criminalizes journalistic-related crimes, the state prosecutor is holding the three journalists in a detention center pending the outcome of their case. Continue Reading »

Ever since I started working as a journalist, I have been a member of the Palestinian Journalist’s Union. For us in Palestine during the early 1980s when I began my journalism career, the idea of professional unions was considered part of the struggle. It was considered by many as part of the nation building efforts and a clear act of protest against the Israeli occupation, which was denying Palestinians the basic right to self-determination. Continue Reading »

I still remember the day early in March 1997 when I was handed a piece of paper issued by the Palestinian Authority allowing us at Al Quds University’s Institute of Modern Media to establish a local television station in Ramallah. With lots of energy and almost no resources we began the process of setting up Al Quds Educational Television. We wanted an independent TV station that was neither a governmental mouthpiece nor a commercial station that lives by game shows and shampoo. Continue Reading »

It is almost 9 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31, and TV host Hamdi Farraj is interviewing Yacoub

Qesieh, one of the Palestinian residents from the town of Beit Jala whose house had been shelled the previous day by Israeli tanks.

Qesieh explained that they had had absolutely no warning about the shelling, but had been spared injury because they, like their neighbors, had been hiding at the nearby Orthodox Club. He also assured viewers that Christian-Moslem relations have never been better, despite the Israeli propaganda war.  Continue Reading »

The violence in and around Al Aqsa mosque last Thursday and Friday reminded me of the incident 10 years ago (on Oct. 8) when Israeli soldiers killed 17 Palestinians on the compound of Al Haram al Sharif. I remember that incident 10 years ago because it took place one day after the birth of my second daughter Tania. It was also one of the few times that Israeli attempts to manipulate the media were clearly exposed.  Continue Reading »

How does one evaluate the level of the freedom of expression in any country? Is it by the existence of an independent media? Is it by the absence of censorship? What about self-censorship? Is the presence of private radio and television a sign of freedom of expression? What about laws? Is the presence of a press law good or bad for freedom of expression?

These are some of the discussions taking place in Palestine and on the air waves as a result of the recent hard hitting report by Amnesty International entitled, “Palestinian Authority: Shutting up Opposition.” The report is a scathing criticism of the policies of the Palestinian security forces in arresting individuals for expressing opinions unpopular with the PA, as well as punishing media organizations and journalists for their coverage of such statements.  Continue Reading »