You don’t have to be a journalist to care what happens to Peter Greste
Events involving Peter Greste may seem far away, but they have a resonance for anyone working in the communications world, argues Mumbrella’s Tim Burrowes
There will be a fair few Mumbrella readers who hadn’t heard of Peter Greste until this week.
Now though, anyone who follows the news even slightly should be aware of him, following the Cairo court verdict.
He is the Al Jazeera English journalist who was this week jailed for seven years for doing nothing more then his job.
(Your quick catch-up: The case thus far has been farcical, with nonsensical evidence and incompetent proceedings. He and his colleagues did nothing wrong.)
We’re lucky to be in such a media bubble in Australia, that we can take freedom of the press so much for granted that many of those working in the industry might not even have been aware of the case.
If it wasn’t for the fact that I’ve worked in places where it’s not so, I wonder whether it would have passed me by until now.
Prior to working in Australia, I spent a little over a year working in the Middle East as a journalist, including a very small amount of time in Cairo.
And I must admit, I hated it. The censorship – and pressure to self-censor – was never far away. That’s why I chose to leave.
And that’s one of the reasons that Australia is such a great place for a journalist to work. You’re free to tell things as you honestly see them.
As a result, the products are better. When you can tell the truth, you connect better with your audiences.
Which indirectly is why Peter Greste’s fate matters to all of us working in the communications industry, not just frontline journos.
I felt privileged to have been in the room at the Press Freedom Dinner last month when Greste’s father read out a message from him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuHZl5CCXhY
Peter Greste’s father reads a moving message from Peter to launch MEAA’s 2014 Press Freedom Dinner #FreeAJStaff pic.twitter.com/xCnqGO43jZ
— MEAA Media (@mediaalliance) May 2, 2014
Of course, journalists around the world suffer all the time – threats, violence, and murder. But the public injustice of this case (and let’s admit it, the fact that an Australian is involved) makes it hit home.
As you go about your day today, a long way from Cairo, spare a thought for Peter Greste.
Click on this image to sign Amnesty’s petition
- Tim Burrowes is content director of Mumbrella and a former editor of Campaign Middle East
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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“He is the Al Jazeera English journalist who was this week jailed for seven years for doing nothing more then his job.”
But if your job is illegal in another country then you run the risk of going to jail. Why is journalism protected? Aren’t we taught to follow the rules of the country we are in? I don’t journalism should be restricted in Egypt but I also don’t think chewing gum should be restricted in Singapore – both are, however, and you need to consider the consequences of going to another country and not following their rules.
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Hi Stillness,
The debate over journalists trying to tell stories in places where it is outlawed is for another day perhaps.
But in Greste’s case, the evidence against him has been laughable. It looks much more like the prosecution was simply for being an inconvenience. Evidence of whether he and his colleagues did or did not follow “the rules” hasn’t really been forthcoming.
When I worked in Dubai a colleague once told me “If you criticise the royal family, they’ll come after you, but they won’t admit that’s why. They’ll just raid you apartment and ‘find’ drugs.”
The “consider the consequences” argument really doesn’t stack up. This has not been an impartial example of local judicial process ‘following the rules”.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
Stillness – I don’t believe it is illegal to be a journalist in Egypt. What is illegal is to challenge the official narrative of the state. If Greste had been publishing opinions/stories that accepted and/or perpetuated the state’s agenda, he would not have been gaoled. That is that issue here.
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In jailing Peter Greste, Egypt are kicking one almighty own goal (to use a current cultural reference). It seems unbelievable that Peter Greste, already jailed for months based on an illogical and corrupt premise, will languish in an Egyptian prison for 7 years.
I have to believe that there will some kind of intervention at Government levels that will demonstrate that Egypt understand the law under which Greste has been imprisoned, is anachronistic and out of step with the international community. Otherwise the damage they do to themselves will be vast.
Egypt has enjoyed a reputation as a moderate country with a desirable tourism trade. By exposing their unworkable and vindictive judicial system to the world, they have destroyed this image. Stupid, shortsighted, cruel.
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A shocking turn of events, this need to be over-turned and quickly!
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Stillness, your comment would indicate to me that you would be one of the many, many people who had not heard of him or the case until today. The “evidence” presented was completely, utterly laughable – and not one single shred of it demonstrated with any conviction whatsoever that he or the other journalists had done anything remotely illegal.
I’d be the first to agree with the old chestnut “don’t go overseas and then whine like a baby if you don’t like the way they do things – break their laws, suffer their consequences” but that really doesn’t appear to be the case here. If they are going to maintain the myth that they are moving towards a modern democracy, then they’ll have to learn to demonstrate it. Jailing international journalists for simply doing their jobs, with no evidence to the contrary, is not a very good demonstration.
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Seriously horrible situation for Peter to be caught up in…some of the ugliest human expression at play here. Egypt’ current power brokers seem primitive and the international damage is vast.
Whilst it is important that we have access to information and this has been an absurd “camel court” charade.
The fact remains that Journalism in some places is dangerous. Just because we (typically in the west) believe certain principles SHOULD be adhered to; it is foolishly arrogant to not acknowledge what IS the local practice.
We will experience the relevance, influence and care factor of our government in coming months.
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Hi there, the image link to the AIA petition above doesn’t seem to be working. It’s here: http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/33972/
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Freedom of the Press does not exist in Australia. Reporters cannot help to protect citizens because libel law’s false presumptions prevent them from saying straight out that X Y or Z are criminals of one sort or another.
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I’ve travelled through many countries filming and reporting on incidents that are a mix
of politics and sport. The most important rule I took with me was to view something
not just through my eyes but through those of the local administration. Today’s media
circus (and I don’t mean that in a derogatory sense but the fact that the media has
such influence and such technological access, it can prove a point over night).
Trying to use a global argument when you are caught in the company of assumed
subversives (in the eyes of the local judicial system) is more often than not a lost cause and often more provoking than silence. We need for the trut h to come out when and wherever possible, but not when it leads to obvious confrontation. How much is a story
worth? To most of us our livelihood and reputation, but at what cost? ROD HAY
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Absolutely appalling. Having lived in the Middle East and well aware of the extent to which media are oppressed and controlled, it shouldn’t come as a shock – but it still does.
Unfortunately, Greste is being used as an example / tool in the bigger game of politics involving Egypt and Qatar’s Al Jazeera network. Hopefully Australian government will intervene to help Greste.
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Nice write up Tim. Yep, I too spent time working as a journalist in Dubai (partly as a result of you putting me in touch with some people actually!) and I concur – working under the threat of censorship sux. I covered the energy sector in the Middle East for 5 years. There I found the powerful CEOs of the big sovereign-owned companies were always dictating what we could and couldn’t write about them.
Heard many examples of journos reporting something about the wrong person (correct reporting, but someone who had the power to get at the journalist if they didn’t like their story). One guy I knew had his passport confiscated, under threat of arrest – he ran as soon as he could get his passport back.
I myself always had my second passport ready (dual citizen), so if they confiscated my Aussie one, I’d hope to use the other.
but yes – I feel for Peter Greste, and can’t imagine what he must be going through right now. Hopefully international outrage spurs a response.
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The message from Egypt’s powers that be is: journalists, think twice before reporting on Egypt.
Greste and Co. may just be collateral damage to get that message across.
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Another (becoming regular) example of a country disliking balanced reporting about it.
Peter Greste and his colleagues = true heroes.
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The sentencing of the journalists sickens me. What kind of non -civilisation can do this? The Egyptian judicial system comes out of the middle ages, wasn’t it a few months ago some 600 people were all sentenced to death? The Egyptian courts are on par with the Nartzi Germany! The free world must hit back at them by imposing every available sanctions until long after the journalists are freed. I see he Egyptian President says Today the verdicts will stand. Come on free World put your sanctions in place NOW!!.
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Well written Tim – thanks for drawing the direct connection to the Australian media industry. It’s easy to put the issue at arms length. We should not.
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Great article Tim. This is a travesty and hope it will be resolved soon for both the individual, the family and the freedom of speech!
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