Yemen Times Editor-in-Chief, Nadia al-Sakkaf checking the paper on its way to printing. Photo: Lotte Dahlmann/IMS

Recent events in Yemen in connection with the latest surge in the “global war on terror” are seriously affecting media in the country. “Yemen government is using support of internationals to violate people’s rights”, an  international organisation claims. Interview with Yemen Times Editor-in-Chief Nadia al-Sakkaf

 The organisation Reporters Without Borders recently issued a report stating that the current “anti-terror climate” surrounding Yemen was used by local authorities to subject journalists to censorship and banning publications. Citing incidents during 2009, particularly in the south, the RSF report concluded that press freedom has worsened since May 2009.

Yemen Times was one of few media that covered the report. Here, Editor-in-Chief, Nadia al-Sakkaf welcomes the report:

-       The media, or at least opposition and independent media was happy that some outside Yemen was able to see through the government's attitude in Yemen especially with regards to press freedom, says Nadia Al Sakkaf, Editor-in-Chief of Yemen Times, the first and oldest English newspaper in Yemen. She goes on to add:

- There is a feeling, that international powers, especially the USA, are either blind or turning a deaf ear to the real ordeals of the Yemeni people. It is as if they are ok with the dictatorship, with the corruption and oppression as long as they get a free pass to entering the country and targeting "al-qaeda" in Yemen.

Among the Yemeni authorities, the RSF report was given little attention. When asked to comment in his weekly press briefing, the Minister of Information and official government spokesman, Hassan Al-Lawzi said that the government of Yemen is appreciated by national and international organizations for the role it plays to promote press freedom.

IMS asked Nadia Al-Sakkaf to comment on the situation surrounding media in the current situation engulfing Yemen:

IMS: How do you experience working as media right now - has it become more difficult?

- I am not sure self-censoring is growing. In fact, if any thing I feel it is decreasing. Media has become so forthright about local issues probably because the situation is just too tense not to say anything about it or to pretend all is well.

Another reason is that there are so many foreign media present in Yemen who are extensively reporting about Yemen. I think this is spurring especially independent and opposition media to think it would be very silly and ironic to read local newspapers saying everything is fine, while correspondents of international media are saying Yemen is on the verge of collapse.

In a way you can say that the presence of foreign media in Yemen has encouraged Yemeni media to report more freely because the situation has become no secret any more. The genie is out of the bottle, you could say. This said, I disagree with many of the reports written about Yemen. It seems the reporters have not done enough work to understand the whole situation and are most of the time endorsing stereotypes without clarifying the truth behind what is going on. You get the impression that they are writing what their editors and readers want to read.

IMS: What measures can you take to ensure the safety of your staff when reporting for YT these days?

- I am trying to arm my staff and myself with objectivity and professionalism.

Though I feel my editorials are getting edgier, I don't want the paper to be closed down, or me to be locked away behind bars or worse hurt in any other way. So I have been continuously approaching the authorities asking them for their point of view regarding any issue we are reporting on. For example, I wrote an editorial about the national budget and spent several days and consulted with an economic expert to understand the budget fully to get the facts right.

IMS: How would you describe the communication between the authorities and the national media now as opposed to before the terror incident?

- The communication process is very fragile and mostly one-way. Every Tuesday the Minister of Information conducts his weekly conference, but he usually does not give us much to work with. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has just conducted a conference, but eventually we landed up hearing what we know.

Most journalists are either trying to find their own sources, or add one and one in order to get anywhere.

IMS: How do your news reporters find it to get verified information about these matters in the current situation with lots of rumours floating around?

- Most foreign journalists, I am afraid, do not verify rumours that much. It seems, they think they know it all, and under the pressure of deadlines and tight budgets land up reporting misleading information.

One of the misconceptions is that Al-Qaeda is stronger and growing in Yemen. The truth, however, is totally the opposite. We have seen times in the mid-nineties and early 20s where Al-Qaeda was really scary. The general feeling is that the network is not so strong or present today. I know this because I have been working in the media for the past nine years.

Another misconception is that there is a conflict between the state and the tribes. The reality is that the tribes are the state and vice versa.

As for the people working in Yemen Times, we do three things to make sure that we stay grounded: We rely on research and long historical analysis, - in other words: We refer to old stories and try to follow trends; then we follow constructive, objective reporting methods; we make sure we have all stakeholders represented in the stories as much as we can; and finally we try to turn the attention to other important issues that have been ignored in the media frenzy regarding terrorism

In the last issue of Yemen Times, our front page had three stories. Only one news item was about the latest political issues - the other two items were humanitarian development stories.

At Yemen Times we are trying to set the news agenda for national and international media and turn the attention towards issues that really matter for Yemen.  There is more to Yemen than terrorism. 

IMS: In your view, what is the most important story that needs to be produced in Yemen right now?

- The most important story to write about Yemen right now is the urgent need to build a nation in Yemen, not a state.