US embassy cable - 05TUNIS1091

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TUNIS 001091 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR NEA/MAG (WELLS, LAWRENCE), NEA/PPD (MQUINN, MGLAZIER), 
NEA/PI (DMULENEX, OKIRBY) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KPAO, SOCI, KMPI, TS, ECIP 
SUBJECT: Embassy Engages Tunisian Journalists on World Press 
Freedom Day 
 
Refs:     Rabat  1045 
 
1.   (SBU) Summary: On the occasion of World Press Freedom 
Day, the Embassy, with financial and logistical support from 
Internews, provided training for over 70 Tunisian 
journalists on the issue of on-line journalism.  On May 3, 
the Embassy hosted a small hands-on workshop, led by 
American expert Gary Kebbel, which dealt with the subject of 
news websites, providing practical advice on the financing 
and maintenance of websites that are connected to printed 
press media.  On May 4, the Embassy hosted a half-day 
seminar on on-line journalism; over 60 Tunisian journalists 
used this opportunity to better understand the opportunities 
and challenges presented by the Internet, as well as to 
debate the current lack of press freedom in the country. 
All the major Tunisian dailies and weeklies provided 
positive coverage of the May 4 event, reaching over 200,000 
Tunisian readers.  These two events, financed by Internews, 
enabled the USG to reach out to Tunisian journalists on a 
symbolically important day.  Action request for NEA/PI in 
Para 8.  End Summary. 
 
May 3 Workshop 
--------------------- 
2.(U) On May 3, the Embassy hosted 12 Tunisian journalists 
who participated in a workshop on "Newspaper Websites." 
Gary Kebbel, the founding editor of USA TODAY.com and 
Newsweek.com, facilitated the workshop.  The 12 journalists 
represented all of the mainstream dailies and weeklies 
(except for one) as well as representatives from the 
opposition press, a banned on-line newspaper (connected to a 
local human rights group) and a representative of the 
government external communication agency.  Kebbel reviewed 
such practical issues as financial support for newspaper 
websites, the interplay between the written product and its 
online image, the need for continual update and creativity, 
and ways to attract readers.  The journalists also asked 
Kebbel to review their existing websites and to provide 
pointed recommendations on how to improve them.  They were 
so engaged in their work that they willingly agreed to work 
through lunch and past the announced end of the session. 
 
May 4 On-line Journalism Conference 
--------------------------------------------- - 
3.(U) On May 4, the Embassy hosted a conference at a Tunis 
hotel on the subject of "On-line Journalism."  The 
conference was divided into two parts, one session on "On- 
line journalism vs. Traditional journalism" and another on 
"The Ethics of On-Line Journalism."  Gary Kebbel and a 
Tunisian expert, Sadok Hammami, facilitated the discussions. 
Ambassador William Hudson provided opening remarks in which 
he reviewed the impact of the Internet on media around the 
world and also underlined U.S. commitment to freedom of 
expression worldwide, citing the text of A/S Boucher's 
statement for World Press Freedom Day. 
 
4.(SBU) Given the lack of a local partner and a flurry of 
competing press activities during this week, we hoped for 
forty participants but prepared ourselves for fewer.  We 
were therefore pleasantly surprised to welcome over 60 
Tunisian journalists to the conference.  These journalists 
again represented all tendencies, including the government 
and opposition press, journalism professors and students, 
human rights activists, and on-line journalists. 
 
5.(SBU) Many of these journalists used the conference to 
open a debate on press freedom in the country.  One 
journalist noted that the most-widely read Tunisian 
newspaper is actually an on-line paper (Tunisnews), the 
website of which is blocked in the country.  Pro-government 
journalists angrily responded that such websites are owned 
and manipulated by extremists.  In response to Hammami's 
assertion that the Internet represents an evolution in the 
media, another journalist replied that, while that might be 
true in the west, it was not true for Tunisia.  The 
journalist explained that if a country had a free and 
responsible printed press, then dealing with the freedom of 
the Internet was a logical next step.  But, he argued, 
Tunisia was moving from an environment of  tightly- 
controlled written media to a forum that provided for 
unlimited freedom.  This, he argued, was a revolution, not 
an evolution.  Another journalist wryly noted that while 
Iraq had the Oil-for-Food program, Tunisian journalists 
lived the Silence-for-Food program in which they exchanged 
self-censorship for a paycheck.   It was notable that many 
of these journalists spoke so openly about the lack of 
freedom of the press in an open forum that was on the 
record.  (Comment. Their courage in doing so represents an 
important evolution in the Tunisian media scene.  End 
Comment.) 
 
Positive reaction, tinged with frustration 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
6. (SBU) All of the journalists who attended the May 3 event 
thanked us for providing practical training on ways to 
enhance their newspaper's online websites.  One journalist 
at a Tunisian weekly promised to completely overhaul the 
current website to apply the lessons taught by Gary Kebbel. 
The May 4 event was equally popular, as evidenced by the 
unprecedented wide and positive coverage of an Embassy event 
for journalists.  Several of the journalists present noted 
that it was symbolically important for the USG to hold such 
an event around World Press Freedom Day, and one journalists 
thanked us for providing a forum in which Tunisian 
journalists could speak at ease about the issues that 
trouble them.  All of the journalists were impressed at the 
quality, experience, and diplomacy exhibited by Gary Kebbel. 
The main criticism that we heard of the two events was an 
inherent sense of frustration on the part of Tunisian 
journalists who are eager to apply what they learned in 
these two sessions but are challenged by what one termed 
"the Tunisian reality."  As some noted, most Tunisian 
journalists do not own computers nor do they have access to 
the Internet at work.  And when they do, they are frustrated 
to find some sites, including the banned Tunisian online 
websites, blocked by the government. 
 
Positive role of Internews 
------------------------------- 
7.(U) These programs would not have been possible without 
Internews financial cooperation.   In addition to helping to 
identify a top-notch American expert, Internews paid for all 
of the expenses associated with both the workshop and the 
conference.  Internews' continued engagement with Tunisian 
press has been an important component of our outreach to 
journalists.   During both sessions, Internews 
representative Valerie Rowles provided the participants with 
useful insight into her organization's experience in 
supporting journalists around the world and indicated their 
willingness to continue engagement with Tunisians.  At the 
end of the May 4 conference, journalists waited to speak to 
her about their ideas for possible future areas of 
cooperation. 
 
Request to do more 
------------------------ 
8. (SBU) It is clear that the subject of on-line journalism 
allows us to accomplish several of our goals: to attract a 
large and varied number of journalists to our programs, to 
provide practical training in an area not widely understood, 
and to enable us to engage on the issues of free and 
responsible press in a way that is not threatening to either 
the GOT or the journalists themselves.  The upcoming WSIS 
conference in November provides further incentive for us to 
engage with journalists on this subject.  We therefore would 
request that additional funds be made available for 
Internews to cooperate with us on a week-long training 
session in the fall that, modeled on the recent program in 
Morocco (Reftel), would provide Tunisian journalists with 
the tools to set up their own websites and learn how to 
manage posted information in a responsible and free manner. 
HUDSON