The AIB has protested the closure of the Baghdad bureau of Aljazeera on Saturday 7 August 2004 by the Iraqi government.
Above: An Aljazeera reporter being
escorted out of the office
The closure will do nothing to aid the establishment of democracy and civil society within Iraq, nor will it assist the free and fair reporting of events in the country to the Middle East. There is no credible evidence that the channel, a member – along with many other international radio and television broadcasters – of this Association, has encouraged criminals in Iraq or advocated or incited hatred and racial tension as the Iraqi authorities suggest.
Aljazeera, with a regular audience of well over 35 million people in the Arab-speaking world, is the only pan-Arab broadcaster to openly embrace and promote a code of ethics similar to that which journalists in international television and radio broadcasters worldwide work to. It is the only pan-Arab network that has engaged multiple trainers from western broadcasters and media training institutes to ensure that its rapidly growing staff are taught the need to be impartial, fair and accurate in their reporting and editing.
“The restrictions placed on Aljazeeras team working in Iraq may provide obstacles to the channels ability to report directly from the scene,” says Simon Spanswick, Chief Executive of the AIB. “However, the Iraqi government fails to understand the way in which modern television newsgathering operations function as Aljazeera will have continued access to video footage and correspondents reports from the country thanks to its long-standing arrangements with the mainstream news agencies and with other broadcasters.”
“This closure damages the Arab worlds perception of the fledgling Iraqi government,” Spanswick continues. “It suppresses factual news and information from high-quality journalists and harms the first freedom – that of free expression. We call on the Iraqi government to reverse its decision and allow Aljazeera to operate feely in the country.”