From Pies to Prison

Since the 1800’s the Fourth Estate has been identified with the public press. At first the fourth estate was just writers in the print media. Then came radio broadcasters, television, and most recently, the information managers of the Internet, in particular bloggers.

Bloggers bother politicians. Apparently words are even more dangerous than tossing pies in your face. When former Governor Ryan was smacked with a protest pie, at least he had the grace to say "Everyone gets to vent themselves a little bit; that's what it's all about, I guess." That opinion about protest methods is not shared across the world especially when it comes to some bloggers.

Bloggers are going to prison for the crime of simply talking about politics. Consider the fates of Hanif Mazroui in Iran, and Abel Kareem Nabil in Egypt. Nabil was sentenced yesterday to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egypt's president. This is not exactly good news for free and open journalism.

Nabil’s conviction has garnered condemnations from human rights groups and others throughout the blogosphere. The international organization, Reporters without Borders, says “This sentence is a disgrace,” the press freedom organization said. “Almost three years ago to the day, President Mubarak promised to abolish prison sentences for press offences. Suleiman’s conviction and sentence is a message of intimidation to the rest of the Egyptian blogosphere, which had emerged in recent years as an effective bulwark against the regime’s authoritarian excesses.”

Read more about Nabil at FREEKAREEM!

In 2007 there are at least 140 journalists in jail, 60 cyberjournalists in prison. 14 media persons have been killed reporting the news.