It's Different When We Do It

An Iranian court reversed an 8-year sentence recently imposed on an American journalist and is preparing to release her. Good news.

Right now -- as the American press corps celebrates itself for demanding Saberi's release in Iran -- the U.S. continues to imprison Ibrahim Jassam, a freelance photographer for Reuters, even though an Iraqi court last December -- more than five months ago -- found that there was no evidence to justify his detention and ordered him released. The U.S. -- over the objections of the CPJ, Reporters Without Borders and Reuters -- refused to recognize the validity of that Iraqi court order and announced it would continue to keep him imprisoned.

One finds only a tiny fraction of news coverage in the U.S. regarding the treatment of al-Haj [Al Jazeera cameraman held for six years in Guantanamo with no trial of any kind], Hussein [AP photographer held for almost two years with no charges of any kind], Jassam [freelance photographer for Reuters, currently imprisoned by the US, even though an Iraqi court last December -- more than five months ago -- found that there was no evidence to justify his detention and ordered him released] and these other imprisoned journalists as has been devoted to Saberi. It ought to be exactly the reverse: the American media should be far more interested in, and opposed to, infringements of press freedoms by the U.S. Government than by governments of other countries. Yet the former merits hardly a peep, while the latter provokes all sorts of smug and self-righteous protests from American journalists who suddenly discover their brave commitment to press freedoms when all that requires is pointing to a demonized, hated foreign government and complaining.

[...]

In Iran, at least Saberi received the pretense of an actual trial and appeal (one that resulted in her rather rapid release, a mere three weeks after she was convicted), as compared to the journalists put in cages for years by the U.S. Government with no charges of any kind.

[...]

[O]bsessively complaining about the rights-abridging behavior of other countries while ignoring the same behavior from our own government is worse than a mere failure of duty. It is propagandistic and deceitful.

  Glenn Greenwald

And that’s not even mentioning the journalists we killed.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.