BBC Monitoring
Analysis by Amani Soliman of BBC Monitoring on 16 May
The "gap" between pan-Arab and Western media in reporting on key Middle East issues such as
Arab and Western journalists working in media outlets across the world gathered at the
During a session entitled "The way to save
Steele, who has recently returned from a visit to
"Unless there is a specific timetable set for the withdrawal of the
Questions were raised over whether the presence of the
Pressures from domestic public opinion in both the
The debate concluded that the coverage of
Degrees of freedom
The different degrees of freedom of expression or the lack of it in Western and Arab countries and the impact on media performance emerged as a contentious issue.
Stephen Grey, a British freelance journalist, told the gathering of the difficulties he had faced in finding funding in the
He said that he eventually had to fund it himself, "despite being in a Western country which enjoys freedom of expression." He added that while researching the book in
Sharon Schmickle from the Minneapolis Star Tribune said that in the
She commented: "Unlike the Arab press, in the
There was consensus that all over the world, it was becoming more difficult for journalists to do their jobs with no restrictions. However, in the West it was more a case of self-censorship than government-imposed controls.
Source: BBC Monitoring research 16 May 07