A new study recommended the need for the Palestinian’s media workers to be more brave and courageous to break all forms of self-censorship.

The study under the title "the impact of violations on self-censorship among Palestinian media workers" prepared by the journalist and researcher Mahmoud Alfataftah for the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms "MADA", said that there is several forms of censorship on the media sector, but the most dangerous of it is the self-censorship, which exercised by the Media outlet or the journalist on themselves.

The study pointed out that Israel after  its occupation of Palestinian territories has sought to impose severe restrictions on freedom of expression, through laws and military orders that control  the Palestinian’s lives and restrict their freedoms, Israel adopted in its control over Palestinian media a number of different legislations, the Jordanian law, the law of publications, and Ottomani laws, as well as the British Defense (Emergency) law in 1945, in addition to its laws and military orders .

According to Alfataftah study, the most censorships forms on media in Palestine are: Israeli occupation, the Palestinian political system through its forces and security services especially after the internal division that resulted from Hamas takeover of Gaza in June 2007, the community including its traditions and customs, laws and some restrictive legislation, and the capital and its effects.

About the censorship future, the study showed that the “censorship" word no longer raises fears and sensitivities as before in light of the traditional media. And there are a lot of journalists, especially those working in electronic media relish in challenging the censorships and overcome them.

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Contact:

Riham Abu Aita
Public Relation Officer
Ramallah
riham@madacenter.org
00970 2 2976519