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Arab Bloggers Meet to Discuss Free

Speech, Reject Journalist Label
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By Jessica Dheere
September 12, 2008

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Bloggers meet up in Beirut

Tagged: conferences, freedom of the press, journalism,

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BEIRUT A quick look at the Regions sidebar on DigiActive, a

nine-month old blog that catalogs how activists use digital tools, reveals
something unexpected. The site details case studies of online activists
from around the world, but by far the largest number of stories involve
bloggers from the Middle East and North Africa 39 compared with
30 for both Americas, 19 for Sub-Saharan Africa, 18 for all of Asia, and
11 for Europe.

Most of the Egyptian bloggers are

political activists and most of the
bloggers use the common language of
the streets, citizen media." -- One
Egyptian Woman blogger

Theres certainly nothing scientific about the numbers. Nevertheless, it

reinforces a trend that emerged as I listened to Arab bloggers talk about
their experiences at the recent closed First Arab Bloggers Meeting in
Beirut: Despite the fact that they live under repressive regimes or
Jessica Dheere
perhaps because of it these individuals may be the next iconic
defenders of free speech, not just in the Arab world but around the
globe. Their ideas may land them in prison, but the lessons they teach have no borders thanks to
the fluidity of the Web. Through websites like Digiactive and Global Voices, they can still inspire
people around the world.
Sponsored by the German Heinrich Boll Foundation, the weekend conference brought together
about 30 men and women in their 20s and 30s most of whom also consider themselves to be
free speech and human rights activists from Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine,
Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Tunisia. Participants shared fascinating country reports: Morocco has
30,000 bloggers; Facebook is blocked in Tunisia; photojournalists help Egyptian bloggers by
passing along outtakes. The sessions covered a variety of tools, like tagging and map mash-ups,
as well as tactics for avoiding filtering and censorship.

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The main theme cutting across all the conference panels, however, was the question of how Arab
bloggers, who span 22 countries but share a common written language, can develop a sense of
solidarity beyond hosting websites like Free Kareem in Egypt and Free Tariq for imprisoned
colleagues. And how can they connect with other important actors, such as non-government
organizations and journalists?

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No matter the approach, the question always seemed to rest at a crossroads between the
responsiveness of human rights organizations when bloggers are detained (which is typically
slower than when journalists are detained) and bloggers need to push the boundaries of free
speech and to support their compatriots.
In short, some human rights organizations tend to think that if bloggers behaved more like
journalists they would be easier to protect. Bloggers on the other hand dont want to be victims or
prisoners any longer than they have to be and emphasize that it shouldnt matter what they say,
only that they be allowed to say it. The bloggers expressed a general distaste for any imposed
system of media ethics or regulations that may compromise the blogospheres nonconforming,
independent character and particular spirit, said Dina Fakoussa, the conference organizer.
They even largely rejected the idea of adopting a code of ethics instituted to combat hate speech,
as some bloggers and journalists have joined forces to do in Bahrain.

BEING ACTIVISTS INSTEAD OF JOURNALISTS

Another reason bloggers reject the journalist label, while still acting as journalists in some ways, is
because they often see themselves as taking a more active role in the news than simply reporting
it. They are often instigators of change in the first place. A female blogger from Egypt, the name of
whose blog translates to One Egyptian Woman, pointed out that larger role for bloggers.
Most of the Egyptian bloggers are political activists and most of the bloggers use the common
language of the streets, citizen media, she said. For example, when they say we want to have an
initiative for organizing a demonstration, they were actually behind the launching of these
initiatives, which is why their role is bigger, more responsive. When you see people saying were
here because we heard about this, it was because it was actually published in a blog.
Several recent stories from the Arab media further illustrate her point:

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In Egypt, where it is illegal for more than five people to assemble, legislation has been
proposed that would give the president total control over all media in the country, including
the Internet. The measure was put forward after some innovative activists used Facebook to

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http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2008/09/arab-bloggers-meet-to-discuss-free-speech-reject-journalist-label256

organize protests against rising food prices in April.

In Tunisia, online video sites YouTube and Daily Motion have been blocked, after so-called
cyber-activists used them to besiege the Tunisian presidential palace by linking video
testimony of former political prisoners and human rights activists to the Carthage
Presidential Palace on Google Maps. Just last week, Facebook was also added to the
prohibited list.
This week in Morocco, blogger Mohammed Erraji was arrested, convicted and sentenced to
two years in prison for allegedly criticizing the kings policy of free gifts to citizens,
according to a Facebook group set up to advocate for his release. Erraji is currently on
provisional release.
King Abdullah of Jordan seems to favor keeping online media open, but his stance is still
not entirely clear. He recently posted comments online to clarify remarks made during an
interview. He encouraged people to post their comments, and their names, without fear so
long as they are not personally offending others, attempting character assassination or
undermining the nations interest. He also recently blocked a government motion, opposed
by the Jordanian press corps, to incorporate online media into the states Press and
Publication department.
These activists are blazing the way not only for blogging in their countries but also for increased
press freedoms. Many balk at adopting the same centralized codes and standards that traditional
journalists follow, believing that such codes would strip them of the main advantages of blogging
being able to advocate, exploit inefficiencies in bloated bureaucratic systems (whose officials often
dont know how to use the media they are trying to control), and use anonymous sources.

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No matter what theyre called or what code they follow, they keep blogging. The more they write,
challenge, and get around the official clampdown on using blogs and other social media tools, the
more sites like DigiActive can document and distribute their acts of speaking truth to power.

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Jessica Dheere is a freelance journalist and media consultant in Beirut. She directs the Social
Media Exchange, which provides training to civil society actors in the strategic use of social media
for social change, and also teaches workshops in online and citizen journalism in the Journalism
Training Program at the American University of Beirut.

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