Arab Press: ‘Bloggers enjoy a much greater freedom than journalists’

Blogs cannot replace newspapers, but in the Arab world, where the state controls much of the press, their place as a forum for free debate is unequalled, according to Wadih Tueni, head of new technologies for the Lebanese daily An-Nahar.

By Patricia Khoder, Arab Press Network

Tueni: The most important thing about blogs is that they allow free expression. In most Arab countries, the state controls the press and its journalists. Newspapers cover only the activities of the head of state and the government, or the king. The margin of freedom is very limited, almost non-existent. So blogs become a vehicle for independent writers to express themselves on events or situations. Blogs are free and reach the largest number of readers possible. In the Arab world, there are things that you just can’t print in the newspaper; that’s why people turn to blogs and why they are so popular.

APN: Do blogs compete with traditional print media?

Tueni: At the moment, there really isn’t any competition for the primary reason of credibility. A newspaper has a history, a name, a reputation. For example, if a reader is intrigued by a piece of news he’s read on a blog, he’ll go to a newspaper or to a news agency or another media outlet to confirm whether the information is true. The reader always needs a source. Bloggers today are not considered credible sources when it comes to news. Maybe one day they will be.

The importance of blogs, I think, is that they offer continuous news coverage. Bloggers enjoy a much greater freedom than journalists. A print journalist, for example, cannot write everything he would like to because he is part of a hierarchy of information, one that is filtered through a department head and then a news desk editor, and he must toe the editorial line. So there are always rules, political or social, that must be respected. A blog is just one person’s opinion.

APN: Are bloggers journalists?

Tueni: Some journalists are bloggers. For a journalist, a blog is a means of maintaining an online access to his articles. Also, during the July 2006 war (between Hezbollah and Israel), many Lebanese started their own blogs, uploading news and photos. These blogs were quite popular.

Many blogs are linked to a particular incident or news event; they don’t have an identity of their own. The blogger will often cover the event and write the articles for the blog. He will film and take photos. How will he secure financing for his blog over the long term? A blog also needs financing, if only to cover the internet connection fee! Where will he find advertisers? An advertiser has to be able to trust the blog and the information it publishes before he agrees to put up any money. A credible blog, however, can transform itself, over time, into a newspaper, an electronic publication.

APN: Are there credible bloggers in the Arab world?

Tueni: Of course; they’re currently in prison, or at least they are in Syria, in Egypt and in Saudi Arabia. In the Arab world, influential bloggers are either in prison, or else they face pressure or threats. When a blogger has a certain amount of influence, he becomes a nuisance to the authorities.

APN: Can blogs in the Arab world be trusted?

Tueni: As a researcher, you can’t rely on only one blog as a source. To get an idea of what’s going on in a particular country, you have to read several blogs. If you can’t trust the newspapers, if there is no free expression, in the Arab world you can go to a few different blogs and get a pretty good idea of what the situation is.

APN: What is the future for blogs in the Arab world?

Tueni: I can’t quote you any figures but in certain countries, especially those in which freedom of expression is most limited, blogs are more important than newspapers. If a blogger becomes a credible source for news, he can set up his own online newspaper. But a blog cannot take the place of a newspaper. A newspaper is trustworthy, it offers a range of news stories and it has financing.

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