Impartiality and Truth in Media
Impartiality and Truth in Media Dr. Mostefa Souag | Acting Director General Head of Al Jazeera Documentation Committee
According to the late Algerian intellectual Malek Bennabi, “When your homeland is under attack, impartiality is treason.” Volumes could be written on this remarkable aphorism, which captures profound knowledge gained by long intellectual and national experience. My aim here, however, is to use this quote to clarify the concepts of impartiality and truth in media, based on the personal experiences recounted by our colleagues in this book, marking Al Jazeera’s 25th anniversary – its Silver Jubilee. In choosing the theme of this book, the Supervising Committee concentrated especially on the ‘human side’ throughout Al Jazeera’s journey, while remaining open to other topics. Our colleagues were asked to write about this, drawing on their experience working for this institution. They each excelled, setting an example which I hope will inspire others to recount their own experiences. I thank all those who contributed to this book despite their busy schedules and the pressures of work, especially the independent contributors who share our passion for Al Jazeera and for the human dimension of its activities. I also appreciate the valuable work of the members of the “Book Committee” (a working group of the Documentation Committee) in reviewing the materials published.
My thanks, finally, to the colleagues responsible for detailed supervision of the book’s preparation: Sameer Al-Shamaileh, Mohamad Sidi Baba, and Lhaj Mohamed Nacik. There is so much in this book to be learned that cannot be viewed on Al Jazeera’s screens and platforms, nor found in the thousands of research studies, theses, and articles published on Al Jazeera. Here, each story is written by one of our own, speaking directly to the reader with no middleman. The accounts written in this book fall in two main categories, each reflecting the experiences of Al Jazeera personnel and the challenges faced by them and by the institution since its launch on 1 November 1996. The first category presents first-hand experiences of events which the writers lived through and helped to shape, which remain engraved in their memories. These range from the first premonitions of its launch all the way to the celebration of its Silver Jubilee in 2021, covering the different stages of its expansion from a single news channel to a vast network of different channels, platforms, centres, and departments. They include its
challenges and unparalleled successes, along with the tragedies that we still grieve – especially the martyrdom of colleagues who risked everything for the truth. From these vignettes we learn the exterior trajectory of the institution’s history. The second category explores the interior, unseen trajectory of our colleagues’ human experiences out in the field. These were written mainly by correspondents and envoys covering major events such as wars, natural disasters, famines, and other such human tragedies. Here we find journalists facing the ordeal of being torn between their professional duty and their personal feelings.
Their duty obliges them to give a full picture of the event being covered and to resist the inclination to sympathise openly with the victims. But this makes them appear ‘impartial’ in a situation where impartiality is almost impossible. Can a prey be put on equal footing with the predator in news reporting, as though each side were equally justified? Does this not give the impression of justifying the predator’s act, at least partly? How are they to channel the overflowing emotions that inevitably fill the heart of the reporter, cameraman, or story writer when they see child victims, for example?
20
21
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter