To be a journalist in the Middle East

You can’t tell that I’m a long time veteran working journalist  , on contrast , I’m a fresh graduate of a media  collage specialized at journalism , but at the same time I can say that I worked on my self during this time and wanted to go out to the real working and fighting world, hoping to get a chance or  discover what I’m capable to do in that field that I’ve chosen  since I was little kid , thinking that this is the right way to become a writer !,  but then turned out to be childish dream  .

Whatever,  since my second year at collage I stared training and working in different media places and here  what I got , first , in the middle east you are not a journalist tell some organization or a place confirm that you are journalist  , you can’t move in a certain place with out your ID , or you could easily got imprisoned ! , it’s about ID not WORK.

Second, where are you working? Is it nationalistic newspaper, because if it was, it means that you are even a too old uncreative or old regime Loyalty journalist, welcome to cliché!

Are you working in   An opposition or partisan newspaper , be careful , you could be justified as  Tabloid journalist or just a parties spokesperson , and that will never be in the side of your benefit in the middle east .

If you know  from where the shoulder is eaten then you will find a chance in the independent journalism , but tell me first , do you have a relatives there , dose your father know the chief-in-editor  ?

Do you have a strong leading personality that will allow you to get into fights could be sometimes not moral  !, how many relations you’ve got , how  many persons answers your phone calls when you call , how many parliament member  do you know personally , and how many scoop you made on there scandals , how many times you have told to GO OUT !

How many times you called person source news and he/she threaten you that they will Sues you and your magazine, or ran away from the answers by a useless reasons or even closed the phone in your face from the first place!

To be a journalist in the middle east means that you will have to record every breath the other person is breathing , because in the next coming second he/she could say that they didn’t say a word ,

To be a journalist in the middle east it means that most of the time you can’t say to the people around you that you are one or they will just ran from you , you represents a source of risk and a reflections of every scandal and a disaster the people would get in .

To be a journalist in the Middle East you would have to learn how to be as cool as ice when you hear  an offending word , or got an offending treat ,

You are a journalist and your skin should be much thicker than the other nature people,

You should know what it’s allowed and what is not allowed in other cultures and religions, places, countries, lows and even constitution!

You have to listen to your chief –in-editor even if he/she was an old old old thinker and do what are saying  , while you are saying “sir , yes sir “!

Journalists in the Middle East moves even individual, or in friendly groups  , you can find a group in some place and after a couple of days you find the whole group in the other place not one of them missing, OMG !

Or you can find him moving lonely and sensitively, so no one could notice!

In middle east there is no Professionalism , there is other criteria , but I can say that when I see a long time veteran working journalist  , I remember that quote  about being like a sponge  that can absorb any thing , and let it go easily after .

I feel Pity for them and for my self imagining that this is what I will become , I feel pity for all the talented  learned  journalists who never found there chance while other who don’t know any thing about journalism are hired in a well known media places   , thinking that what they are writing is real journalism !

I feel pity for my childish dream of being a writer, and how the reality of being journalist in the Middle East Blow it in killing!

 But even if that were the ugly truth, you will have to decide what to do if you made your mind to continue in that field, because letting go was not one of my childish dreams.

 Aya Samir