Yemeni Gov Bankrupting Free Press: Donors Silent
Its very good of the CPJ and RSF and other journalists organizations are staying on top of the assualt on the Yemeni media, but why are the donors so quiet on the issue that is so clear cut?
From News Yemen:
Six newspapers the Ministry of Information have suspended since a month have lost Yr 80 million (almost $400,000) and as many as 200 staff lost their income sources due to the suspension and suppression against those newspapers, said a press report prepared by journalist Mohammad al-Hakimi.
A source in the Aden-based al-Ayyam daily said the newspaper lost Yr 181 million until now, approximately Yr 21 million per a week. He said the paper continues to lose money. It added that 1185 vendors who used to circulate the paper have lost their income resource due to the suppression against the paper.
The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the government of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to end censorship of independent newspapers and to identify and prosecute those who assaulted Al-Jazeera journalists on two occasions in the south of the country.
Fans of the suspended newspapers organized in Karesh district in Lahj last Thursday a protest to the government’s policy against newspapers.
More from the Yemen Post:
The last campaign by the authorities against private newspapers resulted in sever effects on both owners and employees. According to press sources, more than 200 Yemeni journalists have lost their source of income, in addition to an estimated YR80 million, $400, 000, loss for newspapers. The sources emphasized another month of the official siege started with no signs of a soon breakthrough to the crisis.
“It seems that the government is doing all it can to launch a long war and repressive policies against private newspapers and no signs that the crisis will end soon… such assaults have never come to the minds of these newspapers’ owners who used to believe that there is a press freedom in the country,” source said, adding that eight independent newspapers were suspended and incurred heavy financial losses leaving them unable to pay their necessary commitments, which negatively affected their employees. The Secretary-General of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, Marwan Dammaj, said that more than 200 journalists and employees have lost their income sources as a result of suspending eight private newspapers that despite being suspended are still have to pay employees, in addition to other commitments to the advertisers that newspapers lost for the past four weeks.
Al-Ayam newspaper, one of the suspended newspapers, had the lion share from the crisis being the only daily published among private newspapers with about 50,000 copies a day, and having a huge number of employees in its headquarter in Aden, and in its branches in other 10 cities, in addition to more than 32 reporters in Yemeni cities’ centers, districts and some rural areas. Away from its losses of advertising revenues, AlAyam’s estimated monthly sales’ loss is YR60, 000.
Other newspapers with the same fate are Al-Nida’a which publishes at least 8000 copies, Al-Sahre’e, 10-14,000 copies, Al-Masdar, 15,000 copies a week, Al-Dyar, 12,000 copies, Al-Nass and Al-Watanya. About 50 key posts and more than 40 secondary posts were affected in those newspapers.
Al-Masdar newspaper, for example, has a crew of 20 journalists and other employees. Similarly, Al-Nida’a, Al-Sahre’e, and Al-Dyar, all have a total of 30 journalists, 10 journalists each, in addition to many correspondents in different areas.Sources estimated the total losses of all the suspended newspapers at over YR80 million, a figure that might go even higher if all other costs were calculated.
Samir Jubran, Editor in Chief of Al-Masdar newspaper, was quoted as saying that editors of the suspended newspapers could not find a way out of this crisis which forced many of them to start looking for other headquarters for their newspapers outside Yemen where they can feel free to write away from governmental intervention or any other type of control.Yemeni authorities suspended the above mentioned newspapers due to covering events in the southern governorates of Yemen where people are calling for separation.
