Friday, February 11, 2011

Open Letter to the SPJ board to conduct a full investigation of the actions of the President and the Past President regarding Helen Thomas

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


Open Letter to the SPJ board to conduct a full investigation of the actions of the President and the Past President regarding Helen Thomas

Greetings from Chicago. 

My name is Ray Hanania. I am a SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) member who first joined the Society in 1978. I am a recipient of many SPJ and SPJ chapter journalism awards, among many other journalism awards. I covered Chicago City Hall as a political reporter from 1978 until 1992 and I currently write for Creators Syndicate and every week for the Jerusalem Post Newspaper in Israel. I write for three Chicago community newspapers and I manage a media communications company.

Though I realize the committees to which they have been appointed serve at the pleasure of the president, I respectfully ask that members of the Society of Professional Journalists' national ethics, freedom of information and diversity committees investigate recent actions of President Hagit Limor and Past President Kevin Smith and that those members also generally examine how the national board of directors has handled the controversy surrounding the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award. 

I respectfully ask members of these national committees to tackle this important work because I hope what we learn will guard SPJ from the arrogance, prejudice and outrageously bad conduct we have seen evidence of in the Society's current leadership. 

After conducting my own review of Ms. Limor and Mr. Smith's behavior, I have concluded that they have some serious explaining to do to all SPJ members. I believe they have willfully taken steps to marginalize and muzzle the voices of American Arab members of this organization. They have acted in violation of SPJ's code of ethics, and I believe they have acted contrary to the SPJ mission they were entrusted to protect and live by as SPJ officers. I also happen to believe that Ms. Limor and Mr. Smith are guilty of arrogance and unprofessionalism that has reflected very poorly on SPJ. 

I hope SPJ's national committee members and members at large will join me in asking hard questions and demanding straight answers. I present some of my chief complaints here: 

June 16, 2010. I wrote a letter directed to Executive Director Joe Skeel. It asked that the national board not suspend the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award. The following day, on June 17, then-President Kevin Smith responded with a sharp e-mail stating that my criticism of SPJ was intolerable and that, as of that day, he was further directing SPJ staff to shut down the Arab-American Journalists' blog maintained on SPJ.org. I quickly started asking questions of staff and quietly learned that Kevin had actually ordered that blog's shutdown weeks before our e-mail exchange without ever speaking with anyone including myself. He was attempting to justify his decision as a reaction to my criticism of this organization. But I found out he'd actually been making these plans for awhile. When I protested the Arab blog's closure, I heard from other SPJ members that the blog had been deemed "too political." Too political for whom? In the end, I realize now that when too many of SPJ's national leaders are inconvenienced by members' speech, they simply get rid of it. 

Kevin Smith also ordered the disbanding of SPJ's American Arab Journalism Section when he was president and Hagit Limor was president-elect. This section offered the bios and talents of prominent American Arabs who were members of SPJ. Our many activities included working with Peter Sussman, who was then a member of SPJ's national ethics committee, to translate SPJ's code of ethics from English to Arabic. Under Mr. Smith's direction, this section was closed without any explanation or notice to me and any of the section's other members. SPJ simply stopped accepting these members and made plans to fold this section. There was no discussion with our members before any actions were taken. No complaints (except one from the prior year regarding the issue of throwing shoes, a cultural tradition in the Arab World not understand in the same context in the United States or the West, and we had an email discussion about the topic). When SPJ members did take the time to question and write, they never were spared even the courtesy of a short message confirming that their e-mails had been received.

Hagit Limor initiated action against Helen Thomas, an American Arab journalist, during the executive committee meeting of summer 2010. Ms. Limor should stop claiming that she has been "100 percent neutral" and that she "stepped aside" during this controversy. She did not. It is insulting to everyone's intelligence that Ms. Limor wants us to believe that she made an impassioned case to punish Ms. Thomas with an award suspension and, only a few short months later, was maintaining neutrality for "the good of the Society." SPJ members deserve a detailed account of what Ms. Limor told executive committee members -- several of whom sit on the current national board -- that day. Ms. Limor also needs to explain the phone calls she made in late 2010 and early 2011 to some national board members, urging them to vote a certain way regarding the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award. 

SPJ's leaders need to show all of this organization's members just where the calls of complaints regarding the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award were coming from. Because of how poorly our current leaders made this decision and have explained it, they should prepare to make public to us logs demonstrating that, indeed, a vast majority of protests were coming from actual SPJ members. I strongly suspect that never was the case -- especially because several SPJ chapters are speaking up in protest because they weren't even aware that the board was going to tackle this decision in the first place. No, the calls and complaints were coming from groups outside SPJ -- and this Society's current leaders, under the direction of Ms. Limor, bowed to them. 

The voices of American Arab journalists -- and really anyone reacting in support of Helen Thomas -- were cast aside and practically ignored. When American Arab journalists, including me, wrote letters to SPJ, they weren't published -- or, once again, even acknowledged. However, views expressed by the Anti-Defamation League -- which isn't even a journalism group -- received high prominence in Quill magazine. Even worse is that it wasn't until AFTER the Helen Thomas decision was made that Quill Online acknowledged American Arabs' protests. This alone reflects very, very shamefully on SPJ. It gets more interesting: Ms. Limor has made herself available to news organizations and journalists who supported punitive measures against Ms. Thomas. However, Ms. Limor can't say that she has granted nearly as many, if any, interviews with journalists who took the opposite view. 

What's with not responding to members' correspondence? SPJ's current leaders and staff need to get a sense of decency and professional courtesy. They need to respond to every member who writes them. That certainly hasn't been the case throughout this controversy -- at least not if you've been a member who has expressed support for leaving the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award alone. 

What's with the highly insulting e-mail -- and what do members need to do show their leaders that this kind of correspondence is inexcusable? I have been personally attacked in e-mail sent by Ms. Limor and Mr. Smith, and I'll be glad to provide my copies of that correspondence she made to a US media ethics news website.

Just this week, yet another example of this bad behavior emerged when Kevin Smith launched a vicious assault against Christine Tatum, a former SPJ national president. Mr. Smith sent his screed to the full national board and to the director of the Spring Media College Conference after learning that Ms. Tatum will interview Ms. Thomas at that event. Read the e-mail for yourself, and tell me that his tirade was professional or in any way called for. In that message, Mr. Smith accused Ms. Tatum of launching a "campaign" to defend Helen Thomas. Wow! And then he complained that he -- or someone else from the national board -- should be given the right to respond and challenge Ms. Tatum and speak directly to Ms. Thomas herself. That leads me to this ... 

SPJ's national leaders should be ashamed of their communications with Helen Thomas. Go ahead and ask, and you will find that no one from SPJ ever invited Ms. Thomas to issue a statement, explain herself, meet with leaders, defend her actions, etc., before making this decision. That is disgraceful. (And NOW Mr. Smith is demanding an opportunity to speak with Ms. Thomas.) Perhaps even worse is that Helen Thomas learned from news reporters at Jewish news agencies about SPJ's actions (as I did also) before she ever heard from SPJ representatives. An SPJ representative spoke with Ms. Thomas roughly two days after the executive committee meeting -- but by then, she had already heard from reporters and was so disgusted that she hung up on our rep. Then, after the national board's decision, no one from SPJ contacted Ms. Thomas at all. It is shameful that our president, if she didn't want to ask anyone else to do the honors, did not in her touted "state of neutrality" think to handle them herself. This, too, is outrageous misconduct and poor leadership. 

It is disgraceful that Ms. Limor and Mr. Smith have conducted the business of the Society of Professional Journalists in such a shabby, unprofessional and possibly discriminatory manner. Take a look over time, and you'll see an alarming lack of respect for views that differ from their own -- especially if those views come from people who happen to be American Arab. 

I contend that Ms. Limor and Mr. Smith have violated specific mandates of SPJ's mission:

— To promote this flow of information. FAILED
— To maintain constant vigilance in protection of the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and of the press. FAILED
— To stimulate high standards and ethical behavior in the practice of journalism. FAILED
— To foster excellence among journalists. FAILED
— To inspire successive generations of talented individuals to become dedicated journalists. FAILED
— To encourage diversity in journalism. FAILED AND FAILED
— To be the pre-eminent, broad-based membership organization for journalists. FAILED (Lacking diversity)
— To encourage a climate in which journalism can be practiced freely. FAILED

I will refrain from demanding Mr. Smith and Ms. Limor's resignations from the national board -- but in light of all of this, I can't say I find such calls entirely unreasonable. What I do want to see is an accurate account of what has really happened here in the last several months. Executive Director Joe Skeel's blog post is missing far too many important details and the true story MUST be told. That’s what we are mandated to do as journalists. Tell the whole story. Be fair and represent ALL sides. Be Honest. Those objectives have not been done in this case. 

I welcome hearing from you.  

Sincerely, 

Ray Hanania

PS … I have copied the members of the Chicago Headline Club and I URGE all of you to please pass along this letter to your chapter leadership so that we have a full and open discussion on this important matter.

Statement of President Barack Obama on Egypt

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                             February 10, 2011

Statement of President Barack Obama on Egypt

The Egyptian people have been told that there was a transition of authority, but it is not yet clear that this transition is immediate, meaningful or sufficient. Too many Egyptians remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy, and it is the responsibility of the government to speak clearly to the Egyptian people and the world. The Egyptian government must put forward a credible, concrete and unequivocal path toward genuine democracy, and they have not yet seized that opportunity.  

As we have said from the beginning of this unrest, the future of Egypt will be determined by the Egyptian people. But the United States has also been clear that we stand for a set of core principles. We believe that the universal rights of the Egyptian people must be respected, and their aspirations must be met. We believe that this transition must immediately demonstrate irreversible political change, and a negotiated path to democracy. To that end, we believe that the emergency law should be lifted. We believe that meaningful negotiations with the broad opposition and Egyptian civil society should address the key questions confronting Egypt’s future: protecting the fundamental rights of all citizens; revising the Constitution and other laws to demonstrate irreversible change; and jointly developing a clear roadmap to elections that are free and fair.

We therefore urge the Egyptian government to move swiftly to explain the changes that have been made, and to spell out in clear and unambiguous language the step by step process that will lead to democracy and the representative government that the Egyptian people seek.  Going forward, it will be essential that the universal rights of the Egyptian people be respected. There must be restraint by all parties. Violence must be forsaken. It is imperative that the government not respond to the aspirations of their people with repression or brutality. The voices of the Egyptian people must be heard.

The Egyptian people have made it clear that there is no going back to the way things were: Egypt has changed, and its future is in the hands of the people. Those who have exercised their right to peaceful assembly represent the greatness of the Egyptian people, and are broadly representative of Egyptian society. We have seen young and old, rich and poor, Muslim and Christian join together, and earn the respect of the world through their non-violent calls for change. In that effort, young people have been at the forefront, and a new generation has emerged. They have made it clear that Egypt must reflect their hopes, fulfill their highest aspirations, and tap their boundless potential. In these difficult times, I know that the Egyptian people will persevere, and they must know that they will continue to have a friend in the United States of America.

###

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Al Jazeera English Nominated as News Channel of the Year

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


Al Jazeera English Nominated as News Channel of the Year


Doha, Qatar, 8 February, 2011 - The Royal Television Society (RTS), the United Kingdom’s leading forum for television, has nominated Al Jazeera English for its News Channel of the Year award.

AJE will be up against the BBC and Sky’s news channels at the ceremony which will be held on 23 February 2011 at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

It’s the second year running that the channel has been shortlisted. The nomination is for 2009/10 so comes before the recent acclaim for Al Jazeera's Tunisia and Egypt coverage.

Al Anstey, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English said:

“We are delighted to be nominated for such a prestigious award in the UK.  This is a testament to the dedication of all of our staff, as well as AJE’s commitment to the highest quality journalism, story-telling, and coverage of global news.” 

[ENDS]




About Al Jazeera English
Al Jazeera English is the first English language world news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East. Launched in November 2006, Al Jazeera English seeks to present every side and every angle to its stories and act as a bridge between cultures. With unique access, making it the channel of reference for Middle East events, and 65 bureaus strategically placed around the world, Al Jazeera English provides independent and impartial news for a global audience, giving voice to different perspectives from under-reported regions around the world.
Al Jazeera English is available in more than 100 countries to more than 220 million households worldwide.  The channel was awarded “Best 24 Hour News Programme” at the 48th and 50th Annual Monte Carlo Television Festival and has received awards from the Royal Television Society, Amnesty International and YouTube. The channel has also received a total of six International Emmy nominations in the News, Documentary and Current Affairs categories. 
Al Jazeera started out more than fourteen years ago as the first independent Arabic news channel in the world dedicated to providing comprehensive television news and live debate for the Arab world. Al Jazeera was formally named the Al Jazeera Network in March 2006, transforming its operation into an international media corporation – the Al Jazeera Network now consists of the flagship Al Jazeera Arabic channel, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Documentary, Al Jazeera Sport, Al Jazeera.net (the English and Arabic web sites), the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center, the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Al Jazeera Mubasher (Live), and Al Jazeera Mobile.
Visit www.aljazeera.net/english for more details.
For any press queries please send an e-mail to press.int@aljazeera.net

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Al Jazeera Demand Release of Egypt Correspondent

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


Al Jazeera Demand Release of Egypt Correspondent

Doha, Qatar, 6 February 2011 - The Emmy nominated Al Jazeera English correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin has been detained by the Egyptian military. Al Jazeera are calling for his immediate release.

He was taken near Tahrir Square. Mohyeldin was Al Jazeera English’s correspondent in Cairo even before the uprisings.

An Al Jazeera spokesman said:

“We want him released immediately. Interference in the work of journalists should cease.”

[ENDS]

AMA/CCRA Mobilize Community Support for Egyptian Revolution

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


AMA/CCRA Mobilize  Community Support for Egyptian Revolution  
  
WHAT: MOBILIZING BAY AREA SUPPORT FOR EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION
WHEN: SUNDAY, Feb 6 @ Noon
WHERE: CHANDNI RESTAURANT (5748 Mowry School Road, Newark, CA 94560)
   

The American Muslim Alliance and California Civil Rights Alliance have joined forces to hold a series of strategy meetings to discuss the revolution taking place in Egypt and what can be done by Egyptian Americans to show support, starting with the first in the Bay Area on Sun, February 6 at Noon in Chandni Restaurant (Newark/Fremont) . We are also planning to conduct a survey of the Egyptian American community.

The four-fold purpose of these meetings as well as the survey is to a) assess the situation in Egypt; b) examine the likely impact of continued protests and any support that Egyptian Americans can offer;  c) delineate lessons to be learnt from both a and b above; and d) outline a coalition action plan for
supportinghe people of Egypt. 


DON'T MISS THIS IMPORTANT STRATEGY MEETING! ALL ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND!
Come and show your support.
 

For Further Info Please Contact:

Dr. Ali Zaki

408.666.8205 ; 408.921.0057

or

Hazem I. Kira  

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Muslim group to Endorse Carol Mosley Braun in Chicago Mayoral Race

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


Press Conference
Contact: Kristin Szremski

Muslim group to Endorse Carol Mosley Braun in Chicago Mayoral Race

The American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights and Elections - Political Action Committee (AMT-PAC) is an affiliated PAC of  the American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights and Elections, a national umbrella organization comprised of major national and regional Muslim organizations,

Because of the depth and breadth of her experience, Sen. Braun has emerged as the candidate best suited to carry on the civil and human rights legacy of late Mayor Harold Washington. Ms. Braun also has emerged as the candidate who can bring unity to the City of Chicago.

Sen. Braun has a proven record of accomplishment in creating social, economic and civic opportunities with equal access for all. As mayor, Sen. Braun has promised to revisit the city's privatized parking contracts; balance the budget; open healthcare facilities for the elderly and underprivileged and to create youth programs.

"Sen. Braun has been a good friend to the Muslim community over the years, and she has proven that a promise made is a promise kept," said Amir Chaudry, co-chairman of AMT-Illinois. "We are proud and honored to support Sen. Carol Mosley Braun for mayor of the City of Chicago."

WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011
WHERE: Lahore Restaurant, 2116 W. Devon Ave., Chicago
WHO: Speakers include Sen. Carol Mosley Braun, Muhammad Salim Ahktar, AMT national director, Amir Chaudry and Awad Hamdan, co-chairs, AMT-Illinois

(CHICAGO 02/04/2011) -- The Illinois chapter of the American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights and Elections - Political Action Committee will announce its endorsement of former Sen. Carol Mosley Braun in the Chicago mayoral race at a press conference Saturday.


end

Friday, February 04, 2011

PLO Statement on Palestine Papers Controversy

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


Statement from the General Delegation of the PLO to the United States to the Palestinian-American Community

The General Delegation of the PLO to the United States has been following up on the so-called “Palestine Papers” that Al Jazeera has broadcast recently. It has become a tradition for Al Jazeera to maliciously attack the Palestinian leadership and accuse them of betraying the Palestinian cause and their own people. In December, 2008, Al Jazeera launched their first campaign after the Israeli onslaught of Gaza and accused the PLO of colluding with Israel to destroy and kill our people in the Gaza Strip. The “Wikileaks” revealed recently that these allegations were false and that the PLO refused to be part of that campaign against Gaza.

Then, in October, 2009, Al Jazeera launched a second wave of attacks against the Palestinian leadership by once again accusing them of betraying our people when the Goldstone Report was postponed. The Goldstone Report was eventually submitted and adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and today is being pursued by no one other than the PLO when everyone else who accused the PLO of not doing enough has basically abandoned the Goldstone Report.

Recently, Al Jazeera, in an unprofessional form of sensational journalism, embarked on their third wave of attacks against the PLO and the Palestinian leadership. This time around, Al Jazeera went too far in taking things out of context and in attributing things that Palestinians said to Israelis and vice-versa, publishing fragments of so-called documents that they have and resorting to a dangerous game of inciting people against their leadership risking the lives of Palestinians involved in negotiations. While we don’t deny that some of these papers are true, we would like to clarify the following:

1.) These are not official Palestinian – Israeli papers, i.e., they are not legally binding. They were a reflection of discussions that were going on between Israelis and Palestinians but were not concluded.

2.) Statements, quotes, excerpts and words were deliberately taken out of context to implicate and accuse Palestinian negotiators of making concessions in an effort to indict these people. Al Jazeera has failed to produce the full text of these documents for people to read them fully in order to understand the context under which these negotiations were conducted and allow people to evaluate these discussions. By being selective and only putting emphasis on phrases and statements that served to falsely represent Palestinian concessions, Al Jazeera deliberately misrepresented and distorted the facts. In doing so, Al Jazeera intentionally failed to provide the background for these discussions which included many meetings/discussions prior to, and after these meetings/discussions mentioned in the documents took place.

3.) The PLO position on all final status issues: Jerusalem, settlements, refugees, security, borders and water, have not changed at all since Camp David in 2000. Discussing ideas and exchanging views does not in any way mean accepting final positions that were presented to the Palestinian negotiators. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed was a condition that the Palestinians sent to President George W. Bush in December, 2008 before he left office. This remains our position today.

4.) Instead of Al Jazeera focusing on Palestinian positions from 2005-2008, they should focus on the official Palestinian position that was submitted, only a few months ago, to the United States, the Quartet, the Arab League, Arab Countries and even Israel on all permanent status issues. The official position of the PLO in negotiations with Israel remains the same: the end of Israeli military occupation, the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a just and agreed solution to the refugee problem based on United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194. We have asked Al Jazeera, in the name of objective reporting, to publish these official Palestinian positions stated over the last few months so that everyone has the chance to see them. Of course, Al Jazeera had no interest of doing such a thing and as of today, they have not presented these official positions.

5.) The current impasse in negotiations with Israel is a clear indication that the PLO is not conceding Palestinian national rights and interests. We have resisted pressure from many countries to return to the negotiating table due to Israeli settlement activity and colonization of Palestinian land. This principled position which continues today to be the cornerstone of any future resumption of negotiations clearly shows that the PLO has not and will not forsake Palestinian national rights.

6.) The PLO has repeatedly declared that any future agreement will be presented to the Palestinian people for referendum everywhere. Al Jazeera alleges that Palestinian negotiators said that any final status agreement brought to referendum will only be considered in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This is a lie. There is no way that the future of Palestine will only be decided by Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip without taking the diaspora into account.

7.) One cannot help but wonder about the timing of the broadcast by Al Jazeera. At a time when the PLO is diligently pursuing a United Nations Security Council resolution to condemn settlements and at a time when international recognition of the future Palestinian State is emerging from many countries in the world, Al Jazeera broadcast these so-called leaks to undermine the Palestinian position. It is no secret that the PLO and the Palestinian people are subjected to intense pressure from Israel and others to change their positions on permanent status issues. This action by Al Jazeera and those are who behind it, clearly indicates that the objective is to influence the positions of the Palestinian leadership so that they capitulate to such pressure.

We believe that Palestinians are entitled to criticize and to question the actions and statements of their leadership but we will not accept blatant defamation by Al Jazeera or anyone who questions the integrity, honesty, and loyalty of the Palestinian leadership and Palestinian negotiators. There is a big difference between informing the public of the facts and distorting the facts by misinforming the public. Al Jazeera’s campaign cannot be viewed but through the prism of trying to delegitimize the PLO and to create an alternative Palestinian leadership. This is, of course, a stated goal of Israel and enemies of the Palestinian people. It is unfortunate to see that some Palestinians have missed this point and are getting carried away with calls for the dissolution of the PLO and Palestinian National Council, inadvertently serving the objectives of those who are working against the interests of the Palestinian people.

We caution against these calls, which we have heard in the past and are aimed at misleading the Palestinian community in the United States. We trust that the Palestinian community in the United States will seek the truth and find that positions of the PLO and the Palestinian leadership are unwavering when it comes to critical issues such as Jerusalem, refugees, borders, security, settlements and water. We all trust that the Palestinian community understands the motives behind such calls by few who do not represent the opinion of the majority.

The challenges that the Palestinian community is facing in the United States are huge. We need to remain focused and prevent those who are trying to drive a wedge between Palestinians everywhere from succeeding because the Palestinian national cause is far more important than petty politics. We all need to join hands in engaging and exerting pressure on decision makers in the United States at all levels, public, private and official, to persuade the United States to join hands with the Palestinian people who are fighting for freedom, independence and self-determination. There is no time to waste in this endeavor because the forces working against us are relentless and powerful. We can rise up to the challenges we face and serve our people by being united in the defense of our national rights.

The PLO General Delegation in the United States is committed to volunteering its services to the community in order to help differentiate between smear, defamation, lies, accusations, and facts. To obtain the official Palestinian position, we urge you to obtain a free copy of the PLO’s Negotiation Affairs Department Primer. We are here to serve you and to work with you to further our mutual objectives.

end

Al Jazeera office stormed in Cairo

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


Al Jazeera office stormed in Cairo

The Al Jazeera Network have reported that their office in Cairo has been stormed by “gangs of thugs”.  The office has been burned along with the equipment inside it.

It appears to be the latest attempt by the Egyptian regime or its supporters to hinder Al Jazeera’s coverage of events in the country.

In the last week its bureau was forcibly closed, all its journalists had press credentials revoked, and nine journalists were detained at various stages. Al Jazeera has also faced unprecedented levels of interference in its broadcast signal as well as persistent and repeated attempts to bring down its websites.

A spokesman for Al Jazeera said:

“We are grateful for the support we have received from across the world for our coverage in Egypt and can assure everyone that we will continue our work undeterred.”

[ENDS]

Al Jazeera investigate website hacking

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


Al Jazeera investigate website hacking

The Al Jazeera Arabic news website was hacked into today, apparently by opponents of the pro-democracy movement in Egypt.

For two hours this morning (from 6:30am – 8:30am Doha time), a banner advertisement was taken over and replaced with a slogan of “Together for the collapse of Egypt” which linked to a page criticizing Al Jazeera. 

A spokesman for Al Jazeera said that their engineers moved quickly to solve the problem:

“Our website has been under relentless attack since the onset of the uprisings in Egypt. We are currently investigating what happened today. While the deliberate attacks this morning were an attempt to discredit us we will continue our impartial and comprehensive coverage of these unprecedented events.

“As with all the other obstacles that have been put in our path, whether that be the detention of journalists, confiscation of equipment, or having our broadcast signal interfered with, we will continue doing our job of reporting on events in Egypt.”

[ENDS]

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Al Jazeera Network demands immediate release of journalists

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


Al Jazeera Network demands immediate release of journalists

Three Al Jazeera journalists have been detained by security forces in Egypt. One more is reported missing.

A spokesman for the Network said:

“All three of our staff should be immediately released. We are concerned for their safety and welfare.  We are taking every measure as a priority to obtain their release.”

Al Jazeera also had six journalists detained by Egyptian authorities in the past week, with equipment stolen and destroyed. It has also faced unprecedented levels interference in its broadcast signal across the Arab world.

Al Jazeera’s coverage of the Egyptian uprisings has won plaudits from around the world, with its journalists reporting from the heart of the events.

[ENDS]

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Unprecedented Interference in Al Jazeera’s Broadcast Signal Across the Arab World

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


Unprecedented Interference in Al Jazeera’s Broadcast
Signal Across the Arab World

Doha, Qatar, 1 February 2011 - Al Jazeera has stated that their broadcast signal across the Arab region is facing interference on a scale they have not experienced before.

Signals on the Nilesat platform were cut, and frequencies on the Arabsat and Hotbird platforms were disrupted continually forcing millions of viewers across the Arab world to change satellite frequencies throughout the day.

Al Jazeera has been widely praised for their coverage from Egypt and Tunisia despite obstacles put in their path by those governments. Not only have their images and reporting been enthusiastically received by people in the Middle East, but there has been a massive surge in interest in Al Jazeera’s coverage from across the world.

Over the past week the Network has faced multiple attempts to disrupt their coverage from Egypt, with signals being interfered with on a continual basis, and journalists being banned and detained.  The latest disruption has come on the day of the historic ‘million man march’ in Cairo.

A spokesman for Al Jazeera said:

“We have been working round the clock to make sure we are broadcasting on alternative frequencies. Clearly there are powers that do not want our important images pushing for democracy and reform to be seen by the public.

“We appreciate the extraordinary support from the ten channels across the region who interrupted their own programming to live-broadcast our signal to their audiences.”

[ENDS]

 About Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera started out more than fourteen years ago as the first independent Arabic news channel in the world dedicated to providing comprehensive television news and live debate for the Arab world. Al Jazeera was formally named the Al Jazeera Network in March 2006, transforming its operation into an international media corporation.  The Al Jazeera Network now consists of the flagship Al Jazeera Satellite (Arabic) channel, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Documentary, Al Jazeera Sport, Al Jazeera.net (the English and Arabic web sites), the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center, the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Al Jazeera Mubasher (Live), and Al Jazeera Mobile.
For any press queries please send an e-mail to imr@aljazeera.net

ADC Demands the Upholding of Human Rights for Egyptians

Bookmark and Share

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com


ADC Demands the Upholding of Human Rights for Egyptians

Washington, DC | www.adc.org | January 31, 2011 - The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) demands that the Egyptian government upholds the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and restores all means of communication and the free flow of information. Internet service, as well as other communication services, were disconnected shortly after protests began in Egypt on January 25th. The actions taken by Egyptian authorities in the past week against activists violates basic universal human rights and must not be tolerated.

As activists continue to make their voices heard in Egypt, ADC reiterates support for the basic human rights of the Egyptian people to organize, voice their dissent, and peacefully gather to project their political will. ADC condemns the use of violence against those exercising their rights, or by any participant, and encourages all those involved to exercise restraint.

ADC believes that appropriate steps must be taken to ensure that a fair democratic system will be implemented, which respects the free will and human rights of all Egyptians. ADC urges all participants to ensure that the transition to a new government is a peaceful one.

###