The Yemen Times has two articles on the role of journalists in Yemeni society, both of which outline the obstacles journalists face (namely low pay and legal restrictions). These challenges are interesting, and common to many of the Arab countries where ‘official media sources’ dominate the news scene. The more curious assertion, though, is that journalists should work in collusion with human rights organizations to advance those causes. That goal contradicts the idea of journalistic objectivity for sure; this article doesn't even address objectivity as an issue but frames the news media as an opposition force to the government and those in power. (Quoth the piece, Mass media should play an important role in maintaining democracy, by disenabling the ruling majority from violating the rights of party minorities. In addition, journalists should undertake to disclose fiscal, management and political corruption, that both junior and senior officials practice).
This serves as a reminder that in comparing American and Yemeni (or more broadly, Arabic or Middle Eastern) journalism we are not necessarily comparing apples and apples. The so-called Fourth Estate can play many roles, and most generally understood it is a check on the ability of the government to deceive its citizens; the debate over "liberal" vs. "conservative" media in the US is certainly framed in terms of the allegiance of a news outlet to one or the other political party. The shortcomings of the U.S. government differ from those of the Yemeni government (to put it lightly) and therefore the press may conceive of itself as playing a different role, as meeting a different need.
On the other hand, the Yemeni press, or this particular Yemeni journalist, Mohammad bin Saliam, might just have it wrong.
