Heeling the Arab media

“The revolution will not be televised,” Gil Scott Heron sang in his razor-sharp 1974 criticism of mainstream US media. His words have since traveled well beyond American borders and, if it is up to the regional powers that be, the revolution will indeed never be televised, nor will television ever be revolutionized. In a remarkable show of solidarity, on February 12 of this year 22 Arab Ministers of Information signed the charter “Suggested Guidelines and Principles for Organizing Satellite TV in the Arab World.” The text stipulates, among other things, that satellite broadcasters are not to offend Arab leaders, national and religious symbols, nor to damage social harmony, national unity or public order. They should show respect for the Arab family structure and refrain from broadcasting anything which calls into question God and religion, while protecting Arab identity from the harmful effects of globalization. The charter governs all existing and