In a Meeting Organized by AMAN and MIFTAH 

Palestinian Media Professionals and Journalists Call for the Establishment of an Anti-Corruption Media Body

25/1/2007

In a meeting organized by AMAN’s Coalition founding member, the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue & Democracy, MIFTAH, a group of Palestinian media professionals and journalists demanded establishing an anti-corruption media body that works on curbing corruption and reinforcing the rule of law.

The session comes as part of a series of sessions planned within the program that calls for strengthening the role of the media in combating corruption. This Program aims at enhancing the media independency and competency in the fight against corruption. It focuses on increasing media independency in monitoring corruption and in disseminating relevant information to the Palestinian public through investigative reporting. It seeks to ensure that the laws needed for the protection of the media professionals are determined and presented for the PLC for ratification. Moreover, it aims at establishing a national media body   that would provide media institutions and professionals with all necessary support and legal protection. Finally, it intends to facilitate the development of a Media Code of Ethics.

Dr. Azmi Shuaibi, General Coordinator AMAN Coalition, spoke of the nature of corruption in Palestine and the unfortunate fact of its spread not only at the public sector but that it reaches out to the private and civil society organizations sectors. He referred to studies produced by AMAN Coalition that showed that corruption in the public sector is centralized at the high offices while it’s very little or almost absent in the lower rank offices. He pointed to the fact that the specialty of the Palestinian case particularly the revolutionary atmosphere that encompassed diversity, freedom of expression, and tolerance had somewhat helped in limiting the spread of corruption in Palestine.

 He mentioned that in order to combat corruption, we should work on setting a national integrity system and on strengthening the role of the media in fulfilling its role of combating corruption. 

The meeting stressed the importance of investigative reporting and its scarcity in Palestine. Participants spoke of the problems that face journalists and media professionals in Palestine such as the absence of a strong national media body that would provide all necessary support and legal protection to journalists specially in the current infighting. Additionally, they spoke of the absence of free access to information as another obstacle that hinders journalists from pursuing their work. 

Participants recommended the establishment of an anti-corruption national media body with the participation of media professionals and institutions. They also called on the PLC to ratify all necessary legislations needed to provide protection for media institutions and professionals.

 On its part, AMAN Coalition had promised the initiation of a specialized website to cover all corruption news that is not covered by local media tools. Additionally, AMAN will work on providing legal advise and aid in facilitating free access to information to media professionals.