MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE MENA REGION Pilot Study Edited by Susanne Fengler Isabella Kurkowski Monika Lengauer ©2021 Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund All rights reserved Composed by the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund First edition, 2021 Layout: Tawfiq Omrane (Editions Alfiniq, Tunisia) DOI e-Book: 10.17877 / DE290R-21921 INTRO CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 7 NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS 8 INTRODUCTION: MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE MENA REGION, A NEW 12 PERSPECTIVE MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN ALGERIA 19 RESTRICTIONS FOR INDEPENDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN EGYPT: 33 CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN IRAQ 49 STRENGTHENING MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY PRACTICES IN JORDAN – 69 CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN LEBANON 83 THE STATE OF MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN LIBYA 97 MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY INSTRUMENTS (MAI) IN MOROCCO 113 STRENGTHENING MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY PRACTICES IN SYRIA – 127 CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN TUNISIA 143 REFERENCES 163 3 MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE MENA REGION TABLE OF ILLUSTRATIONS Algeria Figure 1.1 Efficiency of Media Accountability Instruments in Algeria 26 Egypt Figure 2.1 Journalists' application of self-censorship in Egypt 41 Figure 2.2 Journalists’ awareness of media regulatory instruments 42 initiated/maintained by government Figure 2.3 Journalists’ evaluations of Media Accountability efficiency in 43 Egypt (based on Q4) Figure 2.4 Enabling and hindering factors for establishing Media 45 Accountability (Q15) Iraq Figure 3.1 Context factors that support/enable news media to act in an 56 accountable way in Iraq Figure 3.2 Context factors that inhibit/limit the news media to act in an 57 accountable way in Iraq Figure 3.3 Evaluation of application of self-censorship of journalists in Iraq 57 Figure 3.4 Rated efficiency of Journalists Associations in Iraq 57 Figure 3.5 Rated efficiency of Journalists Unions/Syndicates in Iraq 58 Figure 3.6 Efficiency of letters from readers to editors in Iraq 58 Figure 3.7 Efficiency of publishing of corrections in Iraq 58 Figure 3.8 Efficiency of professional journalists code of ethics in Iraq 59 Figure 3.9 Efficiency of media internal company codes of ethics for 59 journalists in Iraq Figure 3.10 Efficiency of media NGOs in Iraq 59 Figure 3.11 Efficiency of Media Observatory in Iraq 60 Figure 3.12 Efficiency of international media assistance (donor) 60 organizations Figure 3.13 Is the Press or Media Council in your country a self-regulatory 60 and independent body? Figure 3.14 Has the work of the Press or Media Council, in your opinion, 61 increased ethical standards amongst journalists? Figure 3.15 Which media regulatory instruments exist in your country that 61 are initiated/maintained largely by the government? 4 INTRO Figure 3.16 How would you rate the efficiency of these instruments in 61 holding the media to account? Figure 3.17 Is your country providing a regulatory framework for the Audio- 62 Visual sector, like a Broadcasting Council or Regulatory Authority as a regulatory institution? Figure 3.18 Do you estimate that the government, parliament and the 62 courts are open to the media in a fair and equal way under the current situation? Figure 3.19 Do you think that the existing media-related laws in your 62 country rather support or rather inhibit the news media to behave in an accountable way? Figure 3.20 Do media outlets have editorial independence? 63 Figure 3.21 Do you think there are big differences in accountability 63 practices between the state-owned media and mainstream private media? Figure 3.22 How would you rate the importance of Media Accountability 63 within your countries´ journalists’ set of values and professional culture? Figure 3.23 Do you or your media outlet regularly provide a feedback to your 64 readers/audience/users on social media related to published journalistic pieces? Figure 3.24 In how far is media self-regulation (mediation procedures 64 against incorrect media reporting to be settled without court or governmental interference) performed in your country by a Press or Media Council? Figure 3.25 Do you think that social media are important in your country as 64 a forum for debate on quality/misconduct of the news media? Figure 3.26 Reflecting the past three years, would you say that the 65 accountability of news media has rather remained stable, rather improved or rather deteriorated? Jordan Figure 4.1 Perceived impact of self-censorship among media professionals 76 in Jordan Figure 4.2 Evaluated efficiency of Media Accountability Instruments in 78 Jordan Figure 4.3 Overview of enabling and limiting factors for Media 80 Accountability Lebanon Figure 5.1 Enabling and inhibiting factors according to interviewees 89 followed by number of participants reiterating a factor Figure 5.2 Participant evaluation of Media Accountability instruments in 91 Lebanon. 5 MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE MENA REGION Figure 5.3 Participant evaluation of applied self-censorship of journalists 93 in Lebanon Libya Figure 6.1 The existence of Media Accountability instruments and their 105 effectiveness Figure 6.2 The importance of Social Media in the Media Accountability 107 Morocco Figure 8.1 Evaluated efficiency of Media Accountability instruments in Syria 138 Figure 8.2 Overview of enabling and limiting factors for Media 140 Accountability Tunisia Figure 9.1 Which are context factors that support/enable in your country 151 news media to act in an accountable way? Figure 9.2 Which are context factors that inhibit/limit the news media in 152 your country to act in an accountable way? Figure 9.3 Do you estimate that the government, parliament and the courts 154 are open to the media in a fair and equal way under the current situation? Figure 9.4 Do you think that the existing media-related laws in your 155 country rather support or rather inhibit the news media to behave in an accountable way? Figure 9.5 How would you rate the importance of Media Accountability 156 within your countries ‘journalists’ set of values and professional culture? Figure 9.6 Do you think that social media are important in your country as a 157 forum for debate on quality/misconduct of the news media? Figure 9.7 Reflecting the past three years, would you say that the 158 accountability of news media has rather remained stable, rather improved or rather deteriorated? Figure 9.8 What are, in your opinion, the biggest challenges for Media 159 Accountability in your country as of today? What is needed most in your opinion to uphold Media Accountability in a proper way? 6 INTRO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Facilitated by the generous funding of the German Foreign Office, the wealth of academic and experiential knowledge of our fellow researchers stimulated the development and publishing of this report. The editorial team would like to express deep gratitude on this stage to the different scholars and media practioners as contributors to the country chapters of this survey as well as to the MENA region media experts Nadia Leihs, Abeer Saady, Caroline Lindekamp, Dominik Speck and Loay Mudhoon who have provided invaluable consultancy support with their in-depth knowledge in the preparation phase of this publication. Alice Pesavento, student at the Institute of Journalism at TU Dortmund University, has supported the editorial team in the preparation of this report. 7 MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE MENA REGION NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS Dr. Khaled Gulam: Dr. Khaled Gulam is an Assistant Professor and lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Media of the University of Tripoli, Libya. He received his PhD from Cardiff Univer- sity in 2010. Dr. Gulam is Media Lab coordinator at the Faculty of Arts and Media of the University of Tripoli and fulfilled the role as Head of the Media Department until 2020. Prof. Dr. Abdelkrim Hizaoui: Prof. Dr. Abdelkrim Hizaoui is a professor at the Press Institute for Press and Infor- mation Science (IPSI), University La Manouba, Tunisia. He is the founder and acting president of Media Development Center, Tunis. He is furthermore the founder and editor-in-chief of Arab Journalism Observatory (AJO), partner of European journa- lism Observatory (EJO). In his career he held positions like DG of the African Center for the Training of Journalists and Communicators (CAPJC). Academic fields of interest and expertise: Media regulation, media law, media ac- countability, the right to access to information, media and human rights. Dr. Nor El Houda Bouzegaou: Dr. Nor El Houda Bouzegaou is a Journalist by training and profession as well as a Research Professor at the University of Algiers. She holds a Dr. phil. in Media Ma- nagement from the University of Algiers. Dr. Nor El Houda Bouzegaou is currently also engaged as the person in charge at the Research and Prospecting center of the Public Television Company in Algiers. She has given seminars about her research in Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Germany and Turkey and completed trainings herself in Algeria, Italy and Tunis. Dr. Bouzegaou contributed amongst other with different research articles in the Journal of Public Relation, Middle East. Dr. Mohammed Ibahrine: Dr. Mohammed Ibahrine is an Associate Professor of Advertising and Marketing at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), United Arab Emirates. Before coming to AUS in 2009, he was an Assistant Professor at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI), Morocco. He was a lecturer at the University of Hamburg and the University of Er- furt, Germany. He has lectured at many European and North American universities. In spring 2020, he won the Award for Excellence in Research of the College of Arts and Sciences at AUS. He has published widely on digital technologies and human behavior as well as innovation and entrepreneurship. 8 INTRO Dr.