Doha media centre must fulfil its role Sunday, 31 October 2010 10:14

The Doha Centre for Media Freedom (DCMF), in a press release yesterday, voiced its deep concern over the temporary suspension of 12 satellite channels by the Egyptian operator, Nilesat. So what’s new? That the Egyptian authorities are muffling the media ahead of next month’s crucial parliamentary polls? Or that a Doha-based media watchdog is bold enough to lend its voice to these beleaguered channels? Neither. It’s that the Doha Centre for Media Freedom is alive, again.

In fact, we got a pleasant surprise when the press release landed on our desk because, as one of the leading dailies in Qatar, we have been closely monitoring the Centre’s movement. We had high expectations when it was launched in 2008 with the ostensible objective of enhancing media freedom in Qatar and the region. But unfortunately, the Centre soon got engulfed in a plume of controversy involving its director-general Robert Menard. Since then, DCMF has been more conspicuous by its absence. We tried to contact its officials several times, in vain, and attempts to visit its website revealed it was under “maintenance”.

It seems the Centre is now announcing its existence via Egypt. But curiously, the press release was issued by the Centre’s administrative and financial manager — an odd job he may not enjoy doing. And it raises more questions: Who is in charge at DCMF now? What are its current objectives?

We understand that the DCMF has a seminal role to play in Qatar as a conduit between the government and the local media. To fulfil that role, it must first interact with the media and listen to them. Clearing the airwaves in Egypt is an issue that can wait.

The Editor