Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Yemen editor: it's hell here, but we need coverage by international media



The Guardian

"What is it like trying to report on the bloody conflict within Yemen? To be honest, says Hakim Almasmari, editor of the English-language Yemen Post , "it's hell."

He was speaking to the International Press Institute's Naomi Hunt by Skype, which was something of a feat because Skype has been jammed from Yemen since February.

It is just one of the ways in which the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh is inhibiting media coverage in his country.

He clearly wishes to prevent the world from seeing what's happening in the clashes between renegade forces and his troops.

Only days after the United Nations called on Saleh to step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution, at least 12 people were reportedly killed and many more wounded after fighting broke out in the capital, Sana'a.

But Almasmari says the international media is still not paying nearly enough attention either to the protestors or to the bravery of reporters and cameramen.

Here are some of his key quotes from Hunt's Q&A...."

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