SANA'A: After a campaign run by Yemeni activists both online and inside Yemen and widespread outrage by the country's political opposition's leaders in regards to Sudam “privileged position within the regime and his covering of the news for Reuters news agency, Mohamed Sudam was taken off from the agency's stringer list in Yemen. The journalist who for years had been working both as a journalist for Reuters and a translator for President Ali Abdullah Saleh came under fierce criticisms from the revolutionaries after his brief abduction encounter as people suddenly realized the irreconcilable dilemma that Sudam had in working for a regime and reporting news which went against it. Although many Yemeni journalists have at times worked for and against the government so do speak, lending their pens to one paper or the next, the popular uprising magnified the matter exponentially, forcing writers to state their positions more clearly. Mohamed Sudam was briefly detained by defected General Mohsen forces last month as the dissidents were allegedly trying to force him to reveal valuable information, as well as hoping to use him as a bargain chip for the release of prisoners. In any case, the matter did not go unnoticed although his release took place only a few days later under firm pressure from the government and the Yemeni Journalist Syndicate. “Conflicts of interests” seem to be now on the revolutionary agenda as many protesters are now calling for an overall change in work ethic in the media, and most importantly within the state institutions. Activists on Twitter and Facebook went on over-drive organizing a virtual campaign against Reuters, decrying their lack of professionalism and demanding the agency to lay-off Sudam. Reuters issued a statement reading: “On reviewing the matter, however, we believe it's not appropriate to use a stringer who is also working for the government.” BM
