'Photojournalism as a line of defence in war' by Brigit Morris

editorialClaudia TazreiterJust before Christmas reports of protestsin Tunisia hit the international media. Welearned that citizens were gathering in thestreets of towns and cities to protest againsteconomic conditions, the lack of politicalfreedoms and to push for regime change. Weheard of the plight of a Tunisian fruit seller,Mohamed Bouazizi, a young man who cameto have a pivotal role in sparking protest notjust in Tunisia, but across North Africa andthe Middle East. Mohamed had become themain breadwinner for his family at the age of10, selling fresh produce as a street vendor inthe provincial town of Sidi Bouzid. At the ageof 26 he continued this work in the face ofdaily bullying by local police officers. Reportsindicate that the abuse took a number offorms. At times police would confiscate thescales he used to weigh fruit and vegetables,or they would fine him for not having apermit. The harassment he faced for yearsfinally took its toll on the young man and onDecember 17th, after facing more abusefrom police, this time abuse that took theform of a beating Mohamed could bearthe humiliation no more. He demanded ameeting with a local official at the municipaloffice and was told this was not possible.Mohamed then set fire to himself outside themunicipal office in Sidi Bouzid.Mohamed Bouazizi’s act of protest was to spark demonstrations acrossTunisia, The protests subsequently spread across North Africa and theMiddle East. Mohamed died of his burns on January 4. By late January,Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali stepped down after 23 year ofrule. In Egypt citizens disillusioned by similar patterns of anti-democraticand corrupt leadership succeeded in forcing regime change.Pivotal in these weeks of protest has been the role of journalists, localand foreign, as well as the role of new media. Facebook, Twitter andYouTube became the mode of communication and connectionbetween dissenting citizens, especially amongst the young. Autocraticregimes, in Tunisia, in Egypt, in Bharain and in Yemen and mostrecently in Libya were attempting to quell dissent by cutting access tothe internet and mobile phone coverage. Before the recent regimechange in Egypt, journalists had themselves become targets ofviolence, as happens all too frequently in conflict zones.Four contributors to this issue focus on aspects of journalism andreporting. Bruce Shapiro tracks the recent and not always noble historyof journalism and reporting on human rights abuses, violence andconflict. Shapiro reminds us that journalists are at times complicit incover-ups, at other times heroic in setting new standards for reporting.His article places the role of rigorous investigative journalism at theheart of human rights reporting.The right to freedom of information has been an important plank inthe Australian public sphere and is a core principle in the idea of‘checks and balances’ in adequately scrutinising government and itsbureaucratic and administrative arms. Michael McKinnon investigatesrecent developments in reforms to freedom of information in Australia.Ursula Rao takes a critical look at reporting on social justice in Indiannational newspapers. Her article focuses on the coverage given toIndia’s poor, the homeless and slum dwellers, juxtaposed againstthe business and advertising priorities of news media. Rao’s article isbased on extensive analysis of Indian newspapers and fieldwork as ananthropologist.Daniel Joyce explores the border zones between media and humanrights organisations. ‘New media’ and its penetration to distant andunder-reported parts of the world have spawned ‘witnessing’ by arange of individuals and organisations. Joyce takes a close look at theorganisation WITNESS and the strategies used to promote human rights.Two articles in this issue focus on aspects of visual media. First, EdScheer introduces us to the performance art of Mike Parr, whose workhas focused on the plight of asylum seekers in immigration detention.With the issue of asylum seekers never far from front-page news, Scheerargues that the power of embodied suffering conveyed by Parr’s art isa salient reminder to Australians of suffering that is often invisible to us.Brigit Morris examines photojournalists in war zones, focusing on thework of Stephen Dupont in Afghanistan. Her article provides an analysisof the pivotal role that images have played in documenting andrevealing atrocities, such as the excesses of the German Army, theWehrmacht, during World War II. Morris’ article is a passionate defenceof the important, indeed critical role of independent photojournalism ata time of its rapid demise.The issue ends with the text of a speech by Andrea Durbach, deliveredat the 2010 Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney. Durbach’s speech,‘If you want peace, forget justice’, reflects on the repressive apartheidregime in South Africa and its aftermath. Could justice be securedwithout retribution and further fuelling hatred and fear? As a lawyerimmersed in the struggle to protect victims of apartheid, Durbach offerspowerful insights into the balance between peace and justice.The photographs of the award winning photographer, Stephen Dupontare featured throughout this issue.We hope you enjoy this issue of the Human Rights Defender. Specialthanks are due to Brigit Morris, the student intern for this issue.Claudia Tazreiter is Senior Lecturer in Sociology in the School ofSocial Sciences and International Studies at UNSW.The articles in this issue of the Human Rights Defender look at variousaspects of media and human rights and the role of journalists inrevealing human rights abuses otherwise invisible to the average personas well as the role of visual media, photojournalism and performanceart.Human Rights Defender : 1Editorial