Al Jazeera stands by its documentary, concerned over harassment of its staff

Al Jazeera has said it stands by its controversial documentary on undocumented migrants and expressed concerns over the harassment its staff is facing due to the backlash over the documentary.

“Malaysian officials have criticised the documentary as being inaccurate, misleading, and unfair.

“Al Jazeera strongly refutes these charges and stands by the professionalism, quality, and impartiality of its journalism,” the organisation said in a statement today.

It also said it was concerned that its staff was now subject to a police investigation as well as online harassment.

Some of the staff, it said, have had their personal details revealed online, which could jeopardise their safety.

“Charging journalists for doing their jobs is not the action of a democracy that values free speech. Journalism is not a crime.

“Al Jazeera also has grave concerns about the sustained online harassment its staff is facing. Reporters have been targeted with abusive messages and death threats.

“The personal details of current and former staff have been published online, in a serious breach of privacy which could potentially expose them to great risk both now and in the future,” it said.

The media should have the right to report freely without intimidation, it said, especially in a world in which the media faces increasing threats.

“Al Jazeera calls upon the Malaysian authorities to desist from initiating any criminal investigation into its professional, impartial journalism,” it said.

Aside from its staff, Al Jazeera said it is also concerned for the safety of those interviewed in the documentary who have been subjected to abusive online harassment and hate speech.

“People should feel free to speak with the media and express their views without the fear that they could be targeted,” it said.

It also pointed out that their 101 East documentary, which aired the contentious segment, has a reputation for producing “in-depth journalism of the highest quality”.

Many of its programmes, it said, have been internationally recognised and have received prestigious awards across the globe.

It said the documentary in question contains the views of a wide range of people from different backgrounds, including a well-respected Malaysian doctor and Malaysian relief worker on the frontlines.

“As stated clearly in the film, Al Jazeera acknowledges that Malaysia’s Covid-19 response has successfully contained the spread of the virus.

“The programme also clearly shows the humanitarian efforts made by Malaysian organisations which provide direct assistance to migrants in need.

“The episode does not contain the personal opinions of any Al Jazeera staff,” it said.

It had also repeatedly requested interviews with a number of senior government ministers and officials for the documentary, but they were all not accepted.

Al Jazeera said it had also tried to attend Defence Minister Ismail Sabri’s press conferences but were told only state media could attend.

“Despite the government’s refusal to be interviewed, Al Jazeera still produced a balanced film by including comments made by the Defense Minister at two press conferences.

“The documentary captured events, including immigration raids, as they unfolded in real-time in Malaysia.

“These events were also widely reported by many other media outlets, both domestically and internationally,” it said.

Al Jazeera said it is prepared to host a representative of the Malaysian government to respond to the matters raised in the documentary.

The recent airing of the contentious documentary by Al Jazeera on the alleged mistreatment of undocumented migrants in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic sparked backlash and criticism against the news organisation online.

In its 101 East 25-minute documentary "Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown", it deemed the immigration raids as being "military-style" and alleged that minors were handcuffed and that migrants were housed under cramped conditions.

The documentary also questioned whether the crackdown was the “practical reality of dealing with the pandemic or is it racism?”

The report included interviews with migrants, NGOs, civil society organisations, and trade associations.

The report had angered the government, which denied the claims of racism, and maintained that the handling of migrants was done according to the law.

It also resulted in a police probe against the Qatar-based international broadcaster, while the Immigration Department is now tracking down a migrant interviewee in the documentary. - Mkini