Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet and the trade journal Journalisten are making a big fuss about Dagbladet’s Israel-based stringer Yngvil Mortensen not getting her accreditation renewed. There’s speculation about political motives. Ok. Bureaucracies can be difficult. We know that. Israel’s bureaucrats maybe aren’t any better. We also know that there are thousands of accredited journalists in the country, that Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya have offices in Jerusalem (or had, hard to confirm from their websites) and that the world’s strongest and best news media report round the clock from Israel. So now The Government Press Office is making a big effort to stop the critical reporting of a Norwegian newspaper with rapidly falling circulation? Hm….
Suggestions for further coverage: What does the Foreign Press Association in Israel say about this? How unique is the case? How does Israel compare to other countries in the region when it comes to press freedom? (see Reporters without borders annual report 2007).
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