Concern about virulent criticism of Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the virulent criticism expressed by the US army and by Muwaffak al-Rubai, formerly a member of the Iraq's US-appointed Governing Council, towards the two Arabic satellite TV news stations Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera, which they accused of inciting violence, lying and being "anti-coalition." The organisation said the accusations "overstepped the limits" and "denied the right to editorial independence." It also urged the governing council not to impose any new restriction on the ability of these two Arabic-language news media from working freely in Iraq. At the end of 2003, Al-Arabiya was banned from working and its bureaux in Baghdad were closed for two months. In January of this year, Al-Jazeera was banned from covering the activities of the governing council for a month. Reporters Without Borders said that, despite legitimate security concerns, it was "unacceptable" that the commander of the US forces and other senior US officials in Iraq describe certain news media as "anti-coalition." Such remarks were dangerous just three weeks after two journalists with Al-Arabiya were killed by US gunfire while on the job, the organisation said. They could be interpreted by troops, who are having a trying time in the field, as meaning that some journalists are enemies and therefore legitimate targets. The threats of closure and expulsion expressed by Al-Rubai, newly appointed national security adviser for a five-year term, towards Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya do not help establish a climate of trust between journalists and the authorities. On the contrary, they are evidence of a restrictive view of press freedom. An Al-Jazeera spokesman said the network just reported the news professionally and also interviewed American officials "to be as balanced as possible". It did not play politics and was neither with anyone nor against anyone, he said. Al-Arabiya editor-in-chief Salah Nejm said Iraq was a free country and his network used press freedom responsibly to cover "all sides of the story." Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the deputy chief of military operations in Iraq, said during his daily press conference in Baghdad on 12 April that anti-American sentiment was being stirred up by Al-Jazeera and in the coverage of other media opposed to the coalition. Gen. John Abizaid, the commander of the US forces in Iraq, accused Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya of lying about the US army's operations in Falluja. Also on 12 April, Al-Rubai threatened to close down Al-Jazeera's and Al-Arabiya's bureaux in Iraq if they "continue to incite violence and sedition." "There is no doubt in my mind that if they continue reporting in the way they are reporting now… there is no question that they should be shut down is this country", he said.