Yesterday, there was news in the social media and in Al Sharq newspaper that the services of Mr Jan Keulen, the Director of Doha Centre for Media Freedom (DCMF), had been terminated. Jan had replaced Mr Robert Ménard, who also did not complete the mission of the centre which was opened in October 2008. The objective of the centre is to promote media freedom in the region, and work for the right to freedom of opinion and expression for all, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
After five years, the Qatari society is still in the dark about the role of this centre and how it can contribute to media freedom here except in the form of organising a roundtable discussion or journalism training for students in Qatari schools.
Many Qataris believe this centre did not play any meaningful role in the local media and in enhancing freedom of expression in the country, as a result of which it was focusing more on training or functioning as a learning centre. The centre was busy focusing on other countries and did such things as sending a letter to the President of Somalia expressing concern over the perceived repression of journalists, or writing to the Egyptian authorities to express concern over the arrest of some prominent investigative journalist, or to Syrian authorities calling for the release of some cartoonists.
The blame for all this should not go to Mr Jan but let us hope the mission and objective of this centre will be clearly laid out so that the new director knows what he has to do. We want the centre to play a bigger role in the local media and more Qataris need to work with the centre because they have a better understanding of the system and know the challenges ahead.
The Peninsula
