Should bloggers follow ethical standards for journalism or is the nature of their work significantly different from that of traditional media? How should the print media, increasingly moving online in the region, adopt blogging and how do they maintain their standards if they do so? At a recent workshop in Dubai, bloggers and journalists from throughout the Gulf region focused on the increased visibility of bloggers and online forums in the region, the impact of new technologies on traditional media, and the relationship between bloggers and journalists.
The question of online ethics provoked the most contentious discussion. One editor, Jamal Khashoggi, from Saudi Arabia’s Al Watan newspaper, expressed concerns that online writers were operating in a so-called “gray zone,” without the standards to which print media must adhere. Bloggers said their aim is to push the margins of free speech in an unregulated sphere. They argued that an amateur blogger, who typically expresses personal opinions and is not paid a regular salary, could not be expected to conform to professional norms and standards designed for and by journalists.
The debate continued as the journalists in the room said that anyone writing in a public space could not ignore issues of libel and defamation because it could negatively reflect on other online news sources. The bloggers countered that traditional media does not provide for the creativity allowed in online media. Panelist Amer al Hilaliya, a Kuwaiti blogger and journalist, critiqued the current state of Arab journalism, calling it “journalism based on opinion” and said there was little if any investigative reporting. He also said he saw more investigative reporting in the Arab blogosphere than in mainstream Arab media.
The participants also discussed the impact of blogging in Gulf countries. Kuwaiti blogger Abdul Aziz Al Ateeqi said blogs have become a key part of the political process in Kuwait. Issues they have tackled have evolved from local community and social issues to news, political scandals, and corruption. In Kuwait, the “Bas” (“Enough”) campaign successfully urged the reform of the Kuwait Football Federation and called for the resignation of the federation’s chief. They also campaigned in support of women’s suffrage in 2005, and for changes to the electoral system in 2006. The protest movement relied on bloggers to help organize people for events and protests. In the last election, in May 2009, members of parliament began to try to capitalize on bloggers’ prominence by seeking their endorsements. Many bloggers became campaign advisers for the candidates and blogs written by members of parliament became popular. Facebook and other social networking sites were also used.
In Bahrain, however, officials have tightened online controls. Tawfeeq Al Rayyash, a Bahraini who blogs at www.rayyash.com, [5] said the government is blocking some popular sites and discussion forums. He called it a cat and mouse game – the government will impose restrictions, and the bloggers will find ways around those restrictions, encouraging their audience to use proxy sites and other methods to maneuver around government controls. Recently, government officials proposed individuals register their websites with the Ministry of Information, stoking significant opposition from website owners, as many of their sites are not hosted in Bahrain. As a result, more bloggers are considering anonymously posting. Al Rayyash said this is a major concern at a time when there is also less freedom and space for public debate in traditional media outlets.
Another point of discussion arose over the differences in the two professions and differing standards for verifying the credibility and accuracy of sources and conclusions. Bloggers often mix fact and opinion in a way that is very different from traditional journalists. Omani blogger Muawiyah Al Rawahi said online discussions allow individuals to tackle issues that news outlets do not cover well in order not to offend readers or government officials. New amendments to Oman’s telecommunications law, however, make online writers subject to some content restrictions traditional media outlets face. The journalists at the workshop argued that such laws may be necessary to combat a blogosphere that may be filled with rumor, innuendo, and inaccurate information. Some participants said there could be a healthy partnership between traditional and online media, but struggled with the question of how bloggers could work with traditional media without losing their distinct voices.
The participants discussed the possibility of bloggers “self-regulating,” or abiding by an established code of ethics, but most bloggers were adamantly opposed to accepting any type of restrictions on their content. Panelist Evgeny Morozov, author of Foreign Policy magazine’s “Net Effects” column, said there are few incentives for bloggers to abide by a code of ethics when it is so easy to post content online. “Any effort to try to create new ethical regulations for bloggers and citizen journalism is almost like trying to impose ethical regulation on raining or snowing,” Morozov said. “The weather conditions are going to be there anyway, just like people continue blogging no matter what we expect from them … no matter what laws or ethical regulations we’re going to impose (they are) simply not going to be enforceable.”
All expressed interest in the growing use of social media tools, such as Twitter and Facebook, as a means to disseminate information and draw in readers. Katharine Zaleski, senior editor for special projects for the online magazine Huffington Post, explained to the group how her outlet uses these tools to increase traffic to their articles from other online sources. She explained how stories are written so as to drive search engine traffic to a particular story and increase overall traffic to a website.
The workshop also produced useful networking opportunities for the participants. Sabria Jawhar, a blogger for Arabisto.com, was invited to begin blogging at the Huffington Post as a result of the workshop. Two of her columns have appeared online to date: One [6] on President Obama’s address to the Muslim world, and another [7] on US relations with Israel.
IREX’s MENA MEDIA program is funded by the US Department of State’s Middle East Partnership initiative. MENA MEDIA works in partnership with local media professionals and organizations to address the media profession’s most pressing issues in the region.
