Report: Habeeba Al-Hussawi, Mohammed Mutahhar
Graduates of media departments at Arab universities have always suffered from restrictions that shackle them as soon as they join the journalistic labor market, which has always been discussed in all previous annual ARIJ conferences, especially after the Corona pandemic.
This year's conference is held under the title: # Journalism without restrictions, in Early next December بعمّان، يظل التساؤل هنا: ما مستقبل الخريجين في نقابات الصحافة بالوطن العربي؟ وهل لا زال جانب الأمان الرقمي يؤرق الصحفيين حتى اللحظة منذ أحداث الاختراقات التي تمت عن طريق “بيغاسوس”؟ وكيف ستجد الخريجات أنفسهن بعد التخرج في ظل تنامي ظاهرة التحرش الجنسي التي جعلت منظمات إقليمية ودولية تنادي بضرورة حماية الصحفيات؟ ولا يزال السؤال الأهم من بين كل هذه التساؤلات: لماذا يترك بعض الصحفيين في مناطق النزاع والحروب دونما رعاية مهنية من الجهات الإعلامية التي وظفتهم لصالحها، ودنما حماية قانونية من الدول التي تكفل حق الوصول إلى المعلومات؟
Questions that graduates of both sexes from media departments are waiting for someone to answer before they get into trouble that may end in death or destroy their professional future.
On strict terms
Journalists' unions are an essential part of the media system, and play an important role in organizing the profession and protecting the rights of journalists. However, there is a clear discrepancy between the policies of Arab and foreign journalistic unions with regard to granting memberships to new journalists and supporting them, in addition to protecting female journalists from harassment while performing their job duties.
In the Arab world, press unions have strict membership requirements, and these unions often impose bureaucratic obstacles that make joining them difficult for new graduates, especially in the absence of sufficient professional support, as is the case in Egypt, which has been at the forefront of the world of journalism since its inception, where it is necessary for Graduate journalists Submit proof of employment for a specific period in accredited media institutions to obtain membership.
In contrast, foreign press unions, such as National Union of Journalists UKWith more comprehensive and flexible policies towards new journalists, including freelancers, these unions provide training resources and comprehensive legal and professional support, which contributes to strengthening the professional career of journalists. In addition, foreign unions focus on protecting journalists from various violations, including harassment and threats while performing their duties.
And between Arab and foreign unions, it sought Areej To bridge this gap by adopting training resources and legal advice for all beneficiaries of journalists, both male and female, in the Arab world, in light of the scarcity of Arab regional organizations concerned with press affairs in general.
In the face of threats
In 2016, I raised Gretchen Carlson، مذيعة قناة “فوكس نيوز”، lawsuit Against its CEO Roger Ailes on charges of sexual harassment, this case led to Ailes’ resignation and the channel’s compensation of $20 million. The case of this broadcaster opened a major discussion about harassment issues in the American media, which contributed to shedding light on similar cases that many female journalists in the United States were subjected to, while there are Carlson look-alikes in the Arab world, and no one is listening.
Female journalists face physical and psychological threats, most notably harassment while performing their field duties or in the workplace. The Arab world is not far from this, as they are exposed to this without punishment. The stories of some female journalists were tragic evidence of this despite the distance in time and place.
وقد تسببت بعض هذه الحالات في إجبار العديد منهن على مغادرة المجال الإعلامي أو تغيير مسارهن المهني، في ظل جهود متواضعة لحمايتهن، سواء على مستوى منظمات المجتمع المدني، أو الجهات الحكومية المعنية بحمايتهن، ففي الدول الغربية نجد حركة MeToo أمريكية المنشأ تساهم في تعزيز الوعي حول قضايا التحرش الجنسي، ويقابلها مبادرة “I will not remain silent” في شبكة أريج الأردنية.
In the heart of the cannon
Journalists in conflict zones face a variety of risks, including physical, psychological and legal, and as in Gaza, more than 174 journalists have been killed, according to the office. Government Media in GazaIn the strongest precedent for violating the rights of journalists without accountability or punishment awaiting their killers on the one hand, and without rights being preserved for them after their murder, as some of them are considered the primary breadwinners for their families, and the situation is the same in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.
Occupational safety is a priority for journalists working in conflict zones, requiring specialized training on how to behave in dangerous environments, including first aid and escaping from areas where armed clashes are taking place.
There are still modest efforts to protect them by international organizations such as the International Federation of Journalists, which adopts legal prosecutions of criminals against the press, and the ARIJ network launched Donation window For the benefit of journalists in Palestine.
ومن سلِم من الاعتداء الجسدي، فهو ليس بمأمن عن الاختراق الرقمي، وخصوصاً منذ قام أحد الشركات البرمجية في كيان الاحتلال الصهيوني بمنح برنامج “بيغاسوس” التجسسي لاختراق أجهزة الصحفيين، مما أسهم في قتل بعضهم، وتسريب مصادر البعض الآخر، في ظل غياب شبه تام لمواجهة هذا التحدي من نقابات الصحفيين، عدا ما قامت به شبكة أريج للصحافة الاستقصائية من إطلاق مشروع “Safety first” وجعل الأمر متاح عبر خدمة الدردشة السريعة بالواتساب لخدمة مجتمع الصحافة.
In the midst of this model of the tragic situation of journalists, many graduates, both male and female, may find that their future in this profession is a death knell in light of the complete international silence on the crimes committed against them, which will make the future of journalism gradually recede. Will the year 2025 be a good omen for journalism and its people in Arab countries, or a decline into what is not expected to happen?
