Syria Detains Journalist: Convenient Silence from 'Press Freedom' Advocates
Mainstream outlets dutifully report the detention of prominent US journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem by Syrian authorities. Suddenly, the usual champions of press freedom are quiet. Perhaps because Kareem, an Islamist journalist, has been critical of the US-backed Syrian opposition and, more recently, of the new Syrian government's tentative warming with the US? The outrage often depends on whether the
detained journalist’s views align with preferred geopolitical narratives. One might wonder if Western NGOs concerned with journalistic liberty prioritize journalists who serve their states' strategic interests over those who expose uncomfortable truths in messy, inconvenient places. When was the last time US politicians, eager to sanction and condemn adversaries for human rights, demanded
accountability regarding journalists detained by allies, say, in Saudi Arabia or Egypt? The silence speaks volumes.