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Sunday, June 13 2004Gulf News' idea of journalismBJ Turner of Fort Smith, AR points us to her correspondence with the Dubai-based Gulf News, which is presently on the Gulf News letters page. See the 'editor's note' at bottom: Sad, but true This letter definitely will fall on deaf ears and will not be published in the letters column. Nevertheless, I feel the need to write it. I find it amusing, pathetic, that you publish letters using the term "Israeli terrorist" yet you always edit mine when I write using the word "terrorist" in connection with certain Palestinian actions by substituting it with the word "militant". And you call yourself "free" and "open-minded". I would be only too glad to write rebuttals to Messrs. Aluva and El Thaher's letters ("Ground realities" and "Uprising" Gulf News, Online, June 8) but won't because Gulf News edits my 100 word emails so heavily that I often don't recognise my own writing. Shame on Gulf News for this censorship! Editor's note: Mrs. Turner should thank Gulf News for publishing her letters regularly, though she sends them from America. Every newspaper has a policy – and our policy towards all Palestinians is that they are freedom fighters. If Mrs. Turner does not like our policy, then she can stop writing to Gulf News.
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» Linkology 101 For The Week of 14 June '04 from Cranial Cavity CommentsIt's time Mrs. Turner asked Gulf News questions about the "freedom fighters" currently operating in Saudi Arabia, and mentioning that these "freedom fighters" have as much of a legitimate claim to the Gulf as the House of Saud does, because Saudi's rightful heirs are actually the Hashemite Kings. It's time Mrs. Turner asked Gulf News questions about the "freedom fighters" currently operating in Saudi Arabia, and mentioning that these "freedom fighters" have as much of a legitimate claim to the Gulf as the House of Saud does, because Saudi's rightful heirs are actually the Hashemite Kings. Having spent way too much time in Bahrain, and reading the Gulf News this registers no surprise in this corner. Hey Nannette, Oh, and by the way Mr Editor. You are right, every newspaper has a policy ... and that is supposed to be to report the news as it is, not as how you would like it to be! The Gulf News is extremely one-sided and biased. You don't run a newspaper, you just print propaganda of hate. He calls himself an editor, what a joke... I always had problems with the expression "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter". "Terrorist" and "freedom fighter" are not interchangeable synonyms. Personally, I do not believe the Palis to be freedom fighters, but if the arab news wants to so label them, by all means. We can debate this issue on a separate agenda. However, those Pali "freedom fighters", referred to by the arab news, are also terrorists because they use and employ a campaign of terror in their "fight for freedom". This is a fact, and no editor or policy has the right to disregard facts. There is a very simple definition of a terrorist: If you kill/maime AND intend to kill/maime innocent civilians in support of ANY cause, religion, ideology etc. YOU ARE A TERRORIST. Both parts must apply. That is why when an errant bullet intended for a terrorist strikes an innocent civilian, you cannot label the shooter a terrorist. Terrorists invite this by hiding in civilian areas, using mosques to store weapons or as shooting platforms or bases. One day, the world will wake up and see this. Until then, more killing and destruction, more arguing over politics and more rogue regimes building bombs and fomenting instability. And the US? Maybe if we elect a Jane Fonda flunky, all will be well...I think not. morbius In the spirit of the editor at the Gulf News, I've decided to have a personal policy. My policy is that leprechauns are real. Anyone who wishes to write me and claim that they are not will be edited to show that they do agree that the little Irish buggers with their pots of gold are indeed waiting at the end of every rainbow. Now, I just need to work out my policy that I am a millionaire, and Superman. Do I need to move to Dubai to get away with policies like this, do you think? To expect any Arab media, even the so-called independent sattelite media to go against official regional opinions is both naive and stupid. This would mean a risk to the lives of the concerned journalists/editors. I am not apologizing for their cowardice in confronting reality, after all, media-responsibility is universal, not just regional. To call a spade a spade in the Arab Middle East is an invitation for lynching. So do not expect Arab media to take the correct stance i.e. supporting the cause of the Palestinians, but condeming the means. Media Responsibility remains a great mistery to media outlets like Gulf News. Post a comment[Comments are held for approval before appearing.]
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