Mr. Cowan points about how things have changed are apposite. However no one here can escape the problem of self censorship which Mr. Cowan, and others, practiced. albeit with an uneasy conscience perhaps, over the many years I have looked at the local papers. There were some times a few years ago where striking workers were shown in a photograph adjacent to their actual employers premises whose name could clearly be seen on the signboards where I felt the guilty are being named and shamed. Now we are back to the era when "an arabic daily has reported that striking workers etc. etc." suffices as news, Until someone can feel empowered to state his own opinion, no matter how wrong,without fear of retribution, no real freedom of expresion or of the press can be assumed.
Mr. Cowan points about how things have changed are apposite. However no one here can escape the problem of self censorship which Mr. Cowan, and others, practiced. albeit with an uneasy conscience perhaps, over the many years I have looked at the local papers. There were some times a few years ago where striking workers were shown in a photograph adjacent to their actual employers premises whose name could clearly be seen on the signboards where I felt the guilty are being named and shamed. Now we are back to the era when "an arabic daily has reported that striking workers etc. etc." suffices as news, Until someone can feel empowered to state his own opinion, no matter how wrong,without fear of retribution, no real freedom of expresion or of the press can be assumed.