Media and Security
The Institute of Law at Birzeit University held an open symposium entitled “Media & Security” on 16 May 2009, within the framework of the outreach program of the project “Assisting the Development of Good Security Sector Governance in the Palestinian Territories”, implemented by the IoL in cooperation with the Foundation for the Future.
The symposium aimed at exposing for the benefit of academicians and university students, the relationship between the security agencies and the media groups. Among the participants were:
Brigadier Adnan Dmeiri, spokesperson of the security establishment, Nibal Thawabteh, Journalist and Director of Media Development Center at Birzeit University. Walid Batrawi, Journalist and Director of Support Program to Palestinian Media BBC. The moderator was Dr. Ghassan Faramand, Director of the Institute of Law.
Brigadier Dmeiri has put emphasis on the importance of the security within a society, being the backbone of all other social aspects. He referred to a major development in security reform in Palestine, through the appointment of an official spokesperson to the security establishment, necessitated by holding only one version to all security apparatus. He also spoke about the discrepancy between security and media representatives, characterised on the one hand by the vision of the former to the latter, as a sensation-seeking institution, without reflecting the social and psychological damage which the news item may leave on the society; on the other hand, by a vice versa vision of the media to the security institution as an apparatus untrained for communication, whose job is to monitor and censor the news. He concluded by underlining the importance of a mutual cooperation between the two sides.
Mr. Batrawi from his side stressed on the importance of the idealist use of media by the security establishment, in line with the social interest. There is a growing phenomenon of reconciliation between the two sides. He concurred with Brigadier Dmeiri on the necessity of mutual coordination.
Mrs. Thawabteh, finally, questioned “the role of the media in reforming the security”. She summarized the answer by reviewing a number of recommendations, most important of which were:
Gathering information through legal procedures, without imitating personalities; respecting the rule of law, appearing before a court, with the aim of reporting on the cases in an objective way; avoid disrupting the law , or publishing names and photos of accused as long as no verdict is pronounced. Respecting secrecy of sources who do not wish to disclose their names; checking on the accuracy of information to be published by at least two sources, without giving priority to scoops; respecting professional criteria and rejecting all forms of monitoring; respecting private life of citizens.
