21 - 27 June 2001
Issue No.539
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 21 - 27 June 2001 Issue No.539 |
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After the storm
Al-Nabaa newspaper took a terrible plunge by publishing a report, complete with scandalous pictures, about the misconduct of a Coptic priest expelled from the Church five years ago for failing in his duties as a priest and contravening all accepted principles of public morality. The case received all the press and professional attention it deserves, and it was transferred to court to determine the extent to which the newspaper is guilty of libel against the priest, and how far the journalists who broke the story also violated the codes of conduct that regulate their profession.
Beyond the public outrage surrounding the incident, which is quite justified, commentators have analysed and examined it, probing all the possible reasons that could have driven such a newspaper to publicise explosive material that neither respected religious and national sensitivities nor took into account the political implications of the scandal.
It would be foolish to expect decency or wisdom from a newspaper whose popularity relies on crime- and sex-related sensationalism to capture the interest of people who are not often exposed to such matters at the cinema or on the Internet. It is a genre that thrives all over the world, tabloid journalism; still, no matter how much those who make their living from it enjoy airing other people's dirty laundry, they must be compelled to respect the rights of individual citizens and of society, and to avoid breaking the law -- regardless of the extent to which their targets are to blame.
From the perspective of the freedom of the press, covering a story like this may not in itself be a crime, particularly if the newspaper is careful to provide only accurate information and avoid libelling the accused, publishing names and pictures or reaching a conclusion before the court hands down its sentence. There are, too, considerations relating to the politics of religion: newspapers should never compromise the unity of society or the sensitivities of the various groups that constitute it.
What happens with Al- Nabaa and many other newspapers, including on occasion publications that may be placed within the ranks of the national press, is that certain principles and rules are ignored when it comes to citizens who, having no influence or protection on which to rely, are easy targets for blackmail: a bellydancer, an artist, a businessman or official... Such figures are deprived of even their most basic rights; pictures of them and their families in potentially compromising situations are published and they are condemned before they have a chance to be accused, let alone stand trial. The state apparatus often encourages this, too, for a variety of reasons. We may cite numerous examples, many involving Al-Nabaa. Yet the journalists, in many of these cases, get off scot-free. This time, however, Al-Nabaa was unfortunate enough to put its foot in it. Who is responsible for this unforeseen twist in the plot? Only time will tell what the answer to this question, and the final outcome of the present scandal, will be.
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