As Americans we enjoy many freedoms, and this includes a free press. The government cannot infringe upon a citizen’s right to report the news, and this has undoubtedly led to a thriving, free and open society.
But we must not forget that this is not the case everywhere in the world.
As governments fall like dominoes in the Middle East, many of the regimes in power have taken measures to silence efforts to uncover the truth. This included cutting off Internet access in entire countries to restrict social media — we knew it could connect us to old friends, but who ever knew it could bring down governments?
Shutting down communication is not the only measure that governments have taken, though. Foreign journalists have been detained and people willing to talk to reporters have been abused, raped and outright humiliated.
Two recent episodes highlight these dilemmas. The Libyan government arrested four New York Times reporters and held them captive for six days.
The Times journalists knew the stakes but nonetheless took the gamble and headed to Libya to report on these historic events. They entered the country through the Egyptian-Libyan border without visas.
With help from Turkey, the journalists were released after being held captive for six days. And one of the journalists is no stranger to facing situations like this in foreign countries — the Taliban kidnapped Stephen Farrell in 2009.
The stakes are incredible when reporting abroad, but many people have risked their lives for their profession. Perhaps it is cliché, but without these people, the world would not progress at the speed it does today.
Their work has been instrumental in freeing nations that have been oppressed for decades. We have to support these people who lay it all on the line to go abroad and help spread the ideals we enjoy here at home.
And the people in the country that speak to foreign reporters have much more to lose than the foreign journalists they talk to.
A Tripoli woman showed up at a hotel where journalists were staying to tell them the horrors she has experienced. Not only was she greeted by members of the press, but members of Muammar Gaddafi’s military showed up to remove her from the hotel.
She had evidence of beating, including bruises and marks from binding on her hands and feet. The woman was brave to come forward, and the horrific stories like hers provide the images that really drive the severity of the situation home to those of us who are separated from it. They help the rest of the world put a face on the atrocities and realize how horrible these events actually are.
But lies, deception and cover-ups appear to be the norm in Libya. A government spokesman said the woman was believed to be drunk and mentally unstable. Thankfully we can hold hope that more people will be brave just as the woman was and come forward to tell their story.
So when you are reading the news from these troubled regions, think about the incredulity of some stories and how much people lay on the line just to convey the truth.
