Ignatius: Learning journalism where truth can get you jailed
CAIRO — What do you say to a class of Egyptian journalism students who know that the price of speaking too freely — telling truths that the government doesn’t like — could be imprisonment and worse?
“Be careful,” was my first admonition to the aspiring journalists gathered last weekend at the American University in Cairo. But I told them that even though they face limits, they remain part of a global network of reporters who struggle to do their jobs, as best they can, in places where truth-telling can sometimes be a death sentence.
I think about the passion and intensity on the faces of those young men and women this week, as we at The Washington Post commemorate the six-month anniversary of the death of our Saudi colleague Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered because of his fearless commentary about the kingdom
ournalism doesn’t need any more martyrs — in Saudi Arabia, Egypt or America. But looking at those students, I was reminded that censorship is a losing game in the long run. There are just too many bright young minds around the world who can see reality for themselves on the internet, discern what’s true and what isn’t — and keep looking for ways to live an honest, open life.
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https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/ignatius-learning-journalism-where-truth-can-get-you-jailed/
