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I have always been in favour of free speech which is why I have been chastised so often by those who consider themselves to be "untouchable" when it comes to criticism or opposition. I am told I "should not speak out" so much but I keep on doing so anyway whenever I think it is necessary.
Human Rights Organizations throughout the world speak out all the time about the freedom of the press and the various branches of the media and the necessity for them to publish and broadcast what they want. Being in favour of free speech myself, I totally agree with what they say and one of the reasons for this is I have lived in, worked in and visited countries where freedom of speech and the freedom of the media has been and is suppressed. Only that which praises the "powers that be" in those countries is allowed, and any criticism can be punishable by lengthy jail tems. That is a "not good" situation.
However, having said that, some events of the past week are making me re-think my position on this matter in certain respects. The world's media - from newspaper to TV to radio to internet - seems to have gone totally ballistic without thought for the end results. Are there certains limits or bounderies within which the media should stay when reporting on subjects that can be inflammatory? Should they "hold back" on subjects when the story on which they are reporting can inflame hatred, bigotry and indeed threaten the very security of many people around the world? These and other similar questions have been going around in my mind.
In Gainesville, Florida in America, a relatively unknown gentleman who calls himself Pastor Terry Jones and is apparently the leader of Dove World Outreach Center with a membership of only some fifty people - a so-called Christian church (though from Mr. Jones' rhetoric I doubt if the title of "Christian" can really be applied here) decides he is going to burn some 200 copies of the Muslim Holy Book, The Qu'ran. That in itself is not only a decidedly un-Christian act, but one that is deliberatley designed to cause hatred, racism and bigotry.
Thanks to a huge army of cameras, microphones, reporters and relay trucks from several countries around the world camped on Mr. Jones' doorstep and reporting every word he says regardless of whether or not it is true, the world over is bombarded with the hateful rhetoric of this man. The gentleman is wallowing in the world-wide attention he is getting and thoroughly enjoying it. However, it has caused the Secretary General of Interpol, Mr. Ronald Noble, to issue a special security alert to all of Interpol's 188 member nations at the request of the Pakistan Minister of the Interior, Mr. Rahmin Malik. It has caused innumerable protest marches in many countries around the world. The fact that the US Secretary of Defence, Mr. Gates was reported to have made a personal phone call to Mr. Jones requesting that he not burn the books, only added a further amount of excess fuel to the media frenzy and to the self-importance of the previously relatively unknown Mr. Jones.
It does not take a whole lot of intelligence to see the kind of person the media is following so intently, when Mr. Jones tells them that he has been meeting for two days with the Imam of the mosque in his neighbourhood but does not know his name! You can talk seriously with someone for two days and not know their name? Amazing! Mr. Jones stated he had spoken and was meeting with the Imam in charge of the controversial mosque to be built in downtown New York, yet Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said on TV and later issued a statement saying no meeting was arranged and he had never spoken with Mr. Jones.
Thanks to the media frenzy, this has become a world-wide controversial issue that can literally be a security issue for army personel and civilians alike in many countries. Newsapers around the world have headlined the story and TV stations from CNN to Al-Jazeera to BBC have carried it as a number one headline. Even here in Cambodia it has received a prominent place.
Although I have said I am totally in favour of free speech and freedom of the press/media, I have also come to the conclusion that the media people should put some restraint on themselves when it comes to reporting stories like this. Mr. Jones may be getting his "15-minutes of fame" but the fact that he is getting so much attention from the media is a very likely cause of hatred, bigotry and violence, not to mention the possible threat to the national security of several countries from extremist and radical elements.
Even at this late hour, the media would do well to pull back its microphones, cameras and whatever else from Mr. Jones' doorstep, and give him no further publicity. This should also apply any future story that could possibly cause the same fury and hatred.
