To avoid the slightest controversy during the World Cup, the Qatari authorities will limit media coverage of the event, by prohibiting the audiovisual media and photographers from capturing images of certain places, including accommodation sites. .
Qatar maneuvers so that we only talk about football during its World Cup. There, freedom of the press promises to be restricted to the football fields, and not much further. According to Guardian, according to filming permits issued by the Qatari authorities to broadcasters such as the BBC, television crews will not have the right to capture images in government buildings, universities, places of worship or hospitals . Filming at residential properties and private businesses is also prohibited, while the regulations state that broadcasters are required to “respect the privacy of individuals” and not film them or their properties without their “express prior approval”.
These restrictions are among the list of conditions that media outlets must agree to when applying for filming permits from local authorities to “capturing photographs and videos of the most popular places in the country”. They also apply to photographers but do not explicitly refer to print journalists.
Hindered journalistic work
The rules enacted do not formally prohibit reporting on specific subjects. But these bans make it difficult, if not impossible, for any investigative work on the part of the editorial staff on several sensitive topics mentioned in the news. The British daily notes that under such conditions, it will be impossible, for example, to report on the “mistreatment of migrant workers”. It also complicates the possibilities of collecting people’s testimonies on subjects that are too delicate to be discussed in the public space, such as the rights of LGBTQ + people.
“Several regional and international media are based in Qatar and thousands of journalists from Qatar report freely and without interference every year”defended the Qatar committee, denying having imposed restrictions “frightening” to freedom of the media. The committee also claims to have updated a new version of its conditions for authorization to film, to relax the rules concerning broadcasters at the World Cup, including the removal of the measure which stipulated that broadcasters had to “recognize and accept” that they will not produce items that could be “inappropriate or offensive to Qatari culture, Islamic principles”.
These restrictions on freedom of the press present an ethical dilemma for broadcasters. For its part, Fifa reacted, indicating that it “was working with the Supreme Committee and relevant organizations in Qatar to ensure the best possible working conditions for media participating in the tournament, as well as to ensure that broadcasters continue to report freely without any restrictions”. A spokesperson for the body adds that it would be “important to clarify that filming on private property in any country remains subject to the approval of the owner/operator of the property”.