The Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions granted media with arecognition certificate for its role in change, building democracy and reform; and it revealed the wide margin played by the new media in making the change. The very same conclusion is supported by other Arab revolutions and protests everywhere, foremost of which being Syria, Libya and Yemen, the reality. However, reality reveals that the challenges facing media, with the Arab Spring, did not recede, that the targeting and besiegement of media are increasing, and that the violations against media & journalists are continuing and taking a variety of shapes and forms.

After decades of discredit, Arab Media began to gain trust from their societies, specially who managed to get rid off completely or partially from the domination of the political and security authority, the Arab citizen become a partner in making media content through electronic interaction mediums. Nevertheless, citizens have not yet moved rapidly enough to build a societal system that defends media freedom as a societal right to knowledge.  Furthermore, human rights organizations have not exerted sufficient efforts to make defending the freedom and independence of the media, and the security and safety of journalists, a priority in their work.

Support, defend and advocate media freedom has become curtail and urgent matter in order to face government repression against media and free speech especially the legislation that limit freedom of expression and freedom of media, by imposing stringent constraints, among which are detention, imprisonment, high financial fines and the absence of the right to access information.

The dangers to which journalists are exposed are not limited to legislation, but extend to include serious violations like targeting, physical assault and life threats committed by the government and the security apparatus, these violations are sometimes committed by societal forces affiliated with the authorities, practicing terror against the media under the very eyes of governments, without being held accountable, or committed with encouragement and support from governments.  The list of risks, Journalists are facing in Arab countries includes also pressures and harassments at work and in livelihoods, which prevents the development of a nurturing environment that supports media freedom & media independency.

Hence, it becomes important to consolidate the efforts of those who believe in the media freedom and defend it, for the purpose of enlarging the circle of media defenders in society, build large alliances to support the freedom and independence of Arab media and limit violations affecting it.

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