The Al Jazeera English case and the safety of journalists

I was the only Australian journalism academic invited to present my research at the joint UNESCO and IAMCR session in Montreal.

I have been analysing the media reportage of the Al Jazeera case by the BBC and ABC, where Greste had worked previously, and by the trio's employer, the controversial Al Jazeera Media Network, which has a history of bias reporting.

While the grand conspiracies are rife in this now infamous, global case, my analysis revealed two differing views about this case.

To the West, this case was about press freedom and how the war on terror is used as an excuse for an attack on the press.

It was the first time a Western journalist (such as Greste) had been imprisoned due to terrorism-related offences in Egypt, amidst fears of a frenzied press freedom crackdown by Egyptian authorities post the democratic awaking of January 2011, commonly known as the Arab Spring.

But to Egypt, it was about the rule of law, as the Global Media news outlet tweeted on Saturday; The defendants were not registered as journalists in #Egypt – said the EgyptianCourt.

On 31 December 2013, a similar Egyptian authority's argument was reported on the Al Jazeera network; "Greste, Fahmy and Mohamed's long-term detentions was not an attack on freedom of speech...the Al Jazeera journalists were working illegally because they did not have press passes, and were therefore jailed because they had committed a crime according to Egyptian law".

But the managing director of Al Jazeera English at the time Al Anstey retaliated, "The claims of broadcasting illegally were arbitrary. We operate in Egypt legally".

Then in February 2014 Salah Negm, Al Jazeera English's Director of News changed the company line; Non-accreditation is a simple administrative charge and it does not result in imprisoning journalists or referring them to criminal court".

In May 2015 Famhy fed into the Egyptian view when he began the process to sue Al Jazeera for $US 100 million in punitive and remedial damages for its role in his conviction and imprisonment in Egypt.

While Fahmy's grievance with Al Jazeera centred on its lack of media accreditation in Egypt, his actions also heighten the global criticisms about Al Jazeera's duty of care to its journalists.

The UNESCO session on Safety of Journalists in Montreal discussed ten broad areas of possible research relating to the safety of journalists, including the aspects of legal, financial, physical, digital and psychological safety, and the Al Jazeera case is a classic example where these issues are played out.