Journalist Beheaded: Never mind, he was Iraqi

[DrDebug]

In one of the deadliest weeks in Iraq, reports the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), five journalists have been killed. One of them, Ahmed al-U'badi, who worked for Iraq's al-Sabah newspaper, was beheaded.

Not one single media outlet in the world has covered the beheading, and has scarcely noted the other deaths.

Thanks only to an Egyptian newspaper, we know that "Romania still awaits news about the kidnapped journalists in Iraq." The last time the three journalists were seen, reports Egypt Election Daily News, "was when the Qatar-based TV station Al Jazeera aired a tape showing the three Romanian journalists who disappeared in Baghdad on Monday, March 28."
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/21/12471/5647

[Bookster]

1. This is very common

I work for a small nonpartisan nonprofit organization that among other things brings speakers to our area on various aspects of world affairs. We just had Tala Dowlatshahi, US Representative of Reporters Without Borders , come and talk about global clampdowns on press freedom.

She said that local journalists in any conflict are the most at risk and that's very much underreported in the international press. They also have no one but organizations like Reporters Without Borders to advocate for them, where a foreign journalist's home country will be all over the authorities (when there are "authorities")to have them released.

One example she gave was of a Reporters Without Borders rep in Zambia (I think) who invited a couple of reporters from the UK to visit. All three--the Brits and the Zambian--were arrested at the airport. One call from the UK and their journalists were on a plane home the next day. The Zambian was detained for 100 days, his wife was threatened and they had to leave the country for a few months, returning only after promising to give up journalism and stop corresponding with foreign journalists.

Check out the site though. LOTS of information about crackdowns on cyberdissidents.

[DrDebug]

2. I've seen the annual reports from them

But I've never gave the site an in-depth look. Thank you :)

[newyawker99]

3. Hi Bookster!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: