Why did Bahrain ban Al Jazeera from the GCC summit?
Al Jazeera Media Network was denied entry into Bahrain where members of the Gulf Cooperative Council are meeting.
The six countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council are vital regional and international players.
They are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. When their leaders hold an annual summit, it makes news around the world.
But this year, Al Jazeera was banned from covering the summit in the Bahrain capital of Manama, despite submitting the required paperwork in time.
In a statement, Al Jazeera condemned the measure, saying it’s a “deviation from the normal media protocols of host countries”.
The network has affirmed that it will continue to cover news and events in Bahrain regardless of the ban.
But why was Al Jazeera singled out? And should there be a common rule for journalists covering international events?
Presenter: Jane Dutton
Guests:
Jamal Elshayyal – Al Jazeera correspondent.
Barbara Trionfi – Executive Director of the International Press Institute.
Hugh Miles – Journalist and author of the book Al Jazeera: How Arab TV News Challenged the World.