Initial Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Journalists associations are meant to be agents of the free press, and thus a vital part of civil society – but this is not always the case, as a new study from Germany revealed. Jürgen Endres reports

Newspaper stand (photo: AP) — The regimes in Jordan and Lebanon instrumentalize the respective journalist associations, Ines Braune's study says

The notion of civil society continues to play an important role in the implementation of developmental policy. One of the basic principles of developmental policy has been that those elements of civil society recognized as "champions of democratization" should be strengthened. As a result, civil society organizations have found a prominent place on the list of institutions receiving support.

With this in mind, the 115-page study by Ines Braune on journalists associations in Jordan and Lebanon is recommended reading, providing a commendable contribution to the discussion.

Democratic transformation in the early 1990s

Ines Braune's study is particularly interesting for two reasons. First, because the author selected the Kingdoms of Jordan and Lebanon – two states that have been credited with taking part in the process of democratic transformation in the early 1990s. In the case of Jordan, it was a new beginning with the National Charter of 1991, whereas with Lebanon it was a return to democratic traditions (the Ta'if Accord of 1990).

The second reason is that Braune's investigation of journalists associations focuses the discussion on those civil society organizations that are seen to have played a central role in the process of democratization due to the significance of the media for politics and society at large.

As her base data, the author uses analyses of primary and secondary sources in German, English, and Arabic, as well as numerous fully and half-standardized interviews with members and official representatives of the selected journalists associations in Jordan and Lebanon conducted during a field research trip.

Particular focus is given to the history of the associations, their internal structures and finances, member profiles, the postulated goals of the journalists associations, and their actual activities. A clear presentation is provided of the potential offered by these organizations and also of the restrictive limits of the respective civil societies.

This is especially exemplified by the Jordanian case, in which the author explores the process of instrumentalizing civil society organizations by the regime and the establishment of a "royal civil society" to absorb external resources.

Initial appearances can be deceiving

During the course of reading, it becomes more than clear that if one truly adheres to the basic criteria used to define civil society organizations, then the inclusion of both the Jordanian and Lebanese journalists associations to this category is extremely dubious.

Both associations exhibit considerable deficits in terms of internal democracy, such as their effective forced membership, and, in the case of the Jordanian journalists association, a very distinct financial dependence on the Jordanian government.

Additionally, the extent of civil society commitment shown by both associations and their delineated spheres of activity hardly meet "civil society standards."

One of the most significant results of the study and one that is of particular importance to developmental policy implementation is that initial appearances can be deceiving. What at first glance appears to be part of civil society and thereby an element in the promotion of democracy – in this case the journalists associations of Jordan and Lebanon – may be something else altogether.

Jürgen Endres

Translated from the German by John Bergeron

Braune, Ines 2005: Die Journalistenverbände in Jordanien und im Libanon – ein Teil der Zivilgesellschaft? (The Journalist Associations in Jordan and Lebanon – Part of Civil Society?), Hamburger Beiträge: Medien und politische Kommunikation – Naher Osten und islamische Welt, Bd. 10, Hamburg

Dr. Jürgen Endres is an Islam expert and political scientist.

Qantara.de

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