3 February 2011 “Free Press” = free target

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs is putting out an advisory telling Indian journalists in Egypt to avoid trouble spots.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacks.

"The freedom of speech, whether journalists or demonstrators -- they should be fully guaranteed and protected. That is a ground principle of democracy," he said.

Journalists became targets Wednesday -- they were beaten, bloodied, harassed and detained by men, most all in some way aligned with Mubarak.

Numerous news outlets -- including the BBC, ABC News and CNN -- reported members of their staffs had been attacked, most on the streets of Cairo. In several cases, news personnel were accused of being "foreign spies," seized, whisked away, and often assaulted.

"It was pandemonium. There was no control. Suddenly a man would come up to you and punch you in the face," said CNN's Anderson Cooper, describing being attacked by pro-Mubarak demonstrators along with two colleagues outside of Tahir Square.

CNN's Hala Gorani got caught Wednesday morning in a stampede of demonstrators, some of whom were riding on camels and horses.

"I got slammed against the gates and was threatened by one of the pro-Mubarak protesters who was ... telling me to 'get out, get out!'" Gorani said. "The pro-Mubaraks, whoever they are, whoever sent them, are being threatening toward camera crews, journalists, anybody who looks like they may be onlookers."

A BBC correspondent, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, and his crew were "arrested by members of the secret police" on Wednesday after interviewing a presidential adviser, the BBC reported. They were later released, the network said.

The Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news network was among the worst hit, its office damaged and several of its staff targeted. Among them was correspondent Ahmed Abdullah, who his editor confirmed Wednesday was found bloodied and

transported to a hospital after being severely beaten by his captors.

Maurice Sarfatti told the Brussels-based Le Soir newspaper, which he writes for along with publications in Switzerland and France, that he "received a steam of blows to the face" from men claiming he backed leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei.

"I am being guarded by two soldiers with Kalashnikovs (rifles) and bayonets," said Sarfatti, according to a translation from Le Soir. "They say I will be taken before the intelligence services. They say I am a spy."

http://us.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/03/egypt.journalists/index.html?hpt=C1

Anderson Cooper attacked? Forget the protests -- this is news!

By Alexandra Petri

In Cairo, Molotov cocktails have reportedly been tossed at the Egyptian Museum. A wave of looters broke into King Tut's treasury, damaging pharaonic artifacts that archaeologists call priceless. Items that have survived for millennia smash and shatter, falling victim to a single cruel, thoughtless toss.

OH MY GOSH, THEY ATTACKED ANDERSON COOPER!

Stop the presses! Forget all that. This is Anderson Cooper we're talking about here! THE Anderson Cooper, of CNN fame! Sure, the museum may contain manuscripts, but Anderson's eyes contain volumes.

I know the Egyptian Museum hosts valuable artifacts, but how does it look in a tight black t-shirt? They may have sphinx memorabilia. But Anderson Cooper is a real-life sphinx, shrouded in questions and mystery.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/compost/



Cassi Creek: this separates democratic nations from third world dictatorships. While the press may disclose all the secrets a government agency might wish to avoid airing; blocking media access to transmission systems, will make real journalists dig for the things that no one has yet leaked. Every nation has them and doesn’t want them exposed.

Egypt has just assured that the world’s journalists will latch onto these restrictions as if their lives depended upon it. In this type of political turnover thousands of lives will depend upon journalists doing their jobs to discover all the suppressed information that Mubarak and friends have managed to hide away over the decades.

Whether they be tabloid reporters, senior international correspondents, Pulitzer winners, or local stringers; this is the chance for every journalist to be as careful, accurate, and brave as the men and women who’ve covered the births and deaths of nations over the last two centuries. Help keep Anderson Cooper, and all his colleagues safe and reporting in with the latest verified news. Keep watching, reading, and listening!