Journalism is a Crime? Really?

[dewline]

Having read the CBC coverage of the verdict against Mohamed Fahmy and his colleagues Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed...I find my anger and fear burning a bit brighter tonight.

Quoting the article directly:

The ruling, published by the state news agency MENA, says the three men — Fahmy, Australian journalist Peter Greste and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed — were by default members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, which Egyptian authorities consider a terrorist organization.

"It has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that the Al-Jazeera media channel has dedicated its broadcasting to the service and support of the Muslim Brotherhood faction and that they have permanently sided with them at the expense of their media ethics," the ruling said. "This provides enough ground for a conviction of belonging to a group based on violations of the law."

So. Should that verdict extend to all either freelancing or on the payroll of the several branches of Al-Jazeera? What of Tony Burman, once the head of CBC News, later still one of the key figures in the building of Al-Jazeera English, now at Ryerson University? Or Antonia Zerbisias, longtime Toronto Star columnist and now an occasional contributor of columns to their web service?

I find it laughable to imagine either of them in knowing and willful service to terrorist causes. Ever.

Frankly, the whole business of this trial strikes me as suspicious in basis.

And I think I'll leave it at that. Hoping to get back to less important topics before I call it a night. Comics or space opera, or maybe the Saskatchewan Roughriders...

Comments

[resonant.livejournal.com]

*sighs*