Yemen opens up new training centre for journalists
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Issa al-Jaber has announced he will finance and sponsor a new training centre for journalists in Sana’a, completely free of charge, as to promote unbiased and independent journalism.
For a country where independent journalism has too often been associated with death threats, kidnappings and violence, such a move carries the promise of stronger institutions and the promotion of better journalistic standards.
Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber is a self-made Saudi entrepreneur and philanthropist who has successfully built an international business empire spanning Europe and the Middle East. A strong promoter of good governance, education and cultural dialogue, Shekh al-Jaber has said to be particularly keen in changing Yemen’s media culture from political-biased to fiercely independent.
Yemen’s new MBI (Al-Jaber Media Institute) will work in collaboration with local media and organizations to encourage journalists to abide by international standard and move away from heavy sponsorship or propagandistic campaigns.
Yemen’s very own 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Tawakkul Karman say she supports the centre wholeheartedly as it will help Yemeni journalists get adequate training and thus greater opportunities.
Karman told reporters she believes “the centre will play an important role in the nurturing, training and preparing of real journalists for the real world.”
Yemeni journalist have welcomed the move, saying that such initiatives will help the country move away from its violent and controlling past. Only in September, Human Rights Watch issued an alarming report on Yemen’s freedom of the press, slamming the coalition government for its inability to protect its media workers from unwarranted attacks.
The report read, “While Yemenis generally enjoyed greater freedom of expression since Hadi replaced Ali Abdullah Saleh as president in February 2012, the newfound freedom had been tempered by a rising incidence of threats and violence against the media.”
"President Hadi's failure to address the attacks on Yemeni journalists not only denies them justice, but makes the media as a whole afraid of further and more serious attacks," said Joe Stork, acting Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. He added, "If the advances in free speech are to have a real and lasting impact on Yemeni society, the government should condemn and rigorously investigate all attacks on journalists and ensure those responsible are brought to justice."
While Yemen’s MBI is only one step in the right direction, one can only hope it will serve as the cornerstone for independent journalism, a beacon for freedom of expression.
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