It's hard to hide news from the public

The abundance of technology has caused essential changes in the relationship between governments and the media. That's why governments are finding it increasingly complicated to control the flow of news and ways to spin it in their favor.

Yemenis are strongly becoming involved in this revolution, which is obvious when looking at the numbers of online news websites and those who are using Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and blogs of their own. Both government and the media seem to be struggling to come to terms with the 21st century’s concepts and the way the news now affects public perceptions and public policy.
                                                                                     

What happens to some news websites that have been blocked is not helping the freedom of the press in Yemen and at the same time is not helping improve the picture of the government. Now anything that happens in Yemen becomes under spotlight by Yemeni citizen journalists either through their online websites, blogs, Facebook accounts, and uploaded videos on Youtube.
 

What the government should or needs to understand is that we now live in the no-spin zone where it is almost impossible to hide news from the public.
 

The government of Yemen has responded to this critical change by changes in its media policy, even though it is a slight change. Now, finally the government has a spokesperson, the Minister of Information, who holds weekly press conference for the media.
 

There is no need to invest large amounts of time and energy in trying to ensure that the government’s viewpoint comes across as the work of controlling or spinning information is one of the oldest jobs.
 

In today’s world, controlling news is becoming more difficult and complex and spinning news is a practice from the past. What the government is doing would only harm themselves more than if the information they were trying to spin was published.
 

Government actions in Yemen and elsewhere are tracked live on television or instantly covered on online websites. Governments against their own people will become much more open and transparent. Anything that the government does becomes a topic for immediate analysis and opinion polling.


There is a great need for a new generation who understands the great role that media plays as a watchdog in holding the powerful accountable, in questioning everything that the government does. Only through this can we have better informed citizens, knowing what is happening around them and act accordingly.
 

What happened to NewsYemen and other news websites is not making Yemen better. Allowing more freedom to the press will expose corruption and perform its ultimate role: telling the truth about wrongdoing that affects the public interest.
 

Having a free press will contribute to democracy by feeding an informed population.

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