Global Arab Network | Bahrain, Kuwait Looking into Printed Press Future

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Bahrain, Kuwait Looking into Printed Press Future

- Reda Darwish

Monday, 03 May 2010 15:30

Marking the World Press Freedom Day, a media conference themed "Future of the Printed Press in the Era of Satellite Channels," was inaugurated by Bahrain Minister of Culture and Information Sheikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa.

Sheikh Mai, in a speech on the occasion, hoped the conference would come up with answers to many inquiries about printed press and competition it faces from satellite channels.

In the same day, two Arabic-language Gulf dailies, Kuwait's Awan and Bahrain's Al-Waqt, announced that they are closing due to economic difficulties.

Awan's editor Mohammed al-Rumeihi said in a front-page article that the newspaper was closing due to "extremely harsh economic reasons," without elaborating.

The daily, which published its last edition on Monday, is closing after about 30 months of publication.

In Bahrain, Al-Waqt daily attributed its closure to the fact that it was unable to increase its income, or "find a strategic partner or ... buyer."

"It seems that no one in this country wants a national, independent and professional newspaper to continue," Al-Waqt said in a statement.

On the other hand, Journalism in most of Arab countries are doomed by regimes that restrict the freedom of speech, Federation of Arab Journalists said.

A statement issued by the federation on the sidelines of celebrating World Press Freedom Day today along Arab journalism day on May 6 cautioned of entering "a phase of regression; though some Arab countries are experiencing a proportional prosperity." Laws and regulations are still incapable of "granting minimal immunity and freedom" for Arab journalists, it said while pointing to the fines and actions taken against journalists who break laws concerned with monitoring publications.

It hailed syndicates of Arab journalism for defending the freedom of press in their countries while calling upon UN's Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to work for coming up with strict laws to guarantee the safety of journalists on-duty especially in the time of war.

It said that the federation would always defend the freedom of press and call for freezing the laws that restrict it as it the latter's "number one priority," and called upon all democratic bodies to cooperation and support it stances.

Mr Najib Fureiji (On behalf of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Director of the UN's Regional Office) told the conference that Article 19 of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights stipulate freedom of expression, yet many governments manage to suppress them, especially in printed press, either by forcing high taxes on papers, or leading independent TV channels to stop airing, should they (the channels) criticize government policies.

Ban, in his speech, condemned killings of journalists and insisted on prosecuting people behind them, urging at the same time governments to provide protection for press men and women and investigate crimes committed against them, especially the ones covering stories in times of peace not war.(AFP, KUNA, Agenceis)

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