Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Journalism is not a crime (but journalists do commit crime)


As a journalist,, I do not hesistate in joining my fellow journos at the BBC in London and elsewhere in the world in their minute´s silence and tribute to the three Aljazeera journalists who were sentenced to 7 years in jail by the Egyptian courts for terror-related charges. My heart goes to the parents of award-winning Australian journo Peter Greste, whose plight was highlighted during prime time BBC news this morning, as well as to the parents of Greste´s colleages Egyptian-Canadian Mohamad Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed. In the name of Press freedom, I hope the Egyptian government would intervene in the Court decision, with a view of letting these journalists go, even though it would be wrong for the Executive to interfere with the country´s Judiciary.

Ex PMO press sec: Committed crime in
the name of Press freedom?
However, as a journalist, too, I must apologize for the crimes that have committed daily by reporters, editors and publishers. xx is right, journalism isn´t a cirme but we journalists aren´t angels, let me tell yoiu.

The latest is the very sensational phone hacking scandal involving top-ranking journalists at the now-defunct News of The World owned by Australian media baron Rupert Murdoch. Former News of the World editor Andrew Coulson.(pic) has been found guilty of knowingly allowed the newspaper to eavesdrop on voice mails of not just politicans and celebrities, but also victims of crime as part of its modus operandi to obtain sensational headlines to boost sales and advertisement revenues. [Get the scandal´s timeline h e r e]. 

Do we ask David Cameron to intervene in the judgement meted out by a British Court against one of its journalists?

  

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:04 am

    What could be concluded in the demonstration' photo above is a double standard practice.

    When U spy on me and found guilty, U go to jail. If U spy on my enemy and found guilty, i send people to the street.

    Same thing over here, i will sue U for talking negative about me; i will scream "no freedom" if U sue me for talking negative about U.

    Moral of this story: don't be a cucumber because if the durian rolled over U, it hurt; if U rolled over the durian, U hurt as well.

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  2. Anonymous5:37 am

    Aljazeera....hmmmmm...all news making orgs have agendas....bohong sgt la kalau kata neutral...

    Journos, or propa commandoes? Hmmmm...

    Buku bertemu ruas lah kot...

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  3. Do you know what is the biggest crime of all ?
    That is reporting or writing with fear and with favour. just remember it only takes a bad apple to have the entire basket of good apples turn bad !

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  4. Anonymous8:09 am

    True Rocky,

    You've more more than once committed the Crime of Idiocy.

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  5. Anonymous11:12 pm

    But whatever said and done they were humble enough to apologize instead of saying they were misquoted.


    ISIL. Wink ! Wink!

    wink Man

    ReplyDelete