The utopian vision of media freedom articulated by Jordan’s Princess Rym clashes with the harsh realities facing journalists around the Arab world, writes Publisher and Co-Editor Lawrence Pintak.

Mideast Wire On May 7, the English language website of the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat carried the following report: "Palestinian producer Yousef Aldeek, 43, travels with his companions from one region to the next in the Palestinian territories to wherever Palestinians reside, whether in remote countryside areas, neighborhoods or refugee …

Mideast Wire   On May 5, the Hezbollah affiliated Al-Manar Television carried an interview with Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Shaykh Na'im Qasim, by Anchorwoman Batul Ayyub Na'im: "...Here are the forces of the authority in Lebanon declaring to the public what they used to do secretly in terms of collusion …

Mideast Wire On May 8, the Palestinian-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following opinion piece by Chief Editor Abdel-Beri Atwan: “Most politicians and analysts in Lebanon agree that civil war is a red line, because all the sides whether in the government or the opposition are aware of the fact …

Mideast Wire As-Safir, an independent leftist newspaper, wrote in its lead editorial on May 8: “Political and security developments accelerated yesterday in a dramatic and unprecedented manner. The Lebanese capital and the nearby suburbs awoke yesterday to a scene that brought back to Lebanese memories the black scenes through which …

Mideast Wire Al-Akhbar, an independent pro-opposition newspaper, wrote in its lead editorial on May 8: “Yesterday’s incidents constituted a strategic shift in the internal and regional struggle over managing the situation in Lebanon. While the opposition hid under the cover of the labor protests to register an objection, the most …

Mideast Wire On May 6, the leftist daily As-Safir carried the following report by Maysa Awwad: “it seems that the decision to ban Al-Manar’s reporter Manar al-Sabbagh from entering the Grand Serail will bring about further repercussions. While Al-Manar’s Manager Mohammad Afif told As-Safir that the decision is” political and …

Mideast Wire On May 6, the pro-government Hariri-owned Al-Mustaqbal daily carried the following report by Fares Khashan: “A month ago, Lebanese officials tried to contain the issue of the telephone communication network that was established by Hezbollah throughout Lebanon with direct funding from the Iranian Islamic Republic. However, the party …

Mideast Wire On May 3, the English language website of the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat carried the following report by Lahem al-Nasser: "There has been a focus upon Islamic banking by different forms of media, including television, over the past two years. The programs that are broadcast by television channels …

Al Jazeera Press Release DOHA, 2 May 2008: Al Jazeera is pleased to declare that Sami al Haj, their cameraman who has been held for six years in Guantanamo Bay, has finally been released from American military custody and has returned to Sudan.  After six years without due process and over …