A Reason to Want the Big Guys on Your Side

The idea of freelancing is romantic, until you end up sick in a foreign country, struggling with a story without an editor to guide you, or kicked out because you offended a government official. All this is to be expected at one time or another. But one of the worst situations we have seen lately, besides foreign journalists becoming casualties of war, is foreign countries throwing them in prison for no apparent reason. This is the case with Roxana Saberi who is being held in Iran's most notorious jail, Evin Prison, where it is rumored there is a torture chamber. I don't know about you, but this is when I would want 'The Big Guys' on my side. I commend NPR, ABC, BBC, FOX, WALL STREET JOURNAL, PBS AND FEATURESTORY.COM for their joint statement and their negotiations on behalf of Ms. Saberi. But I'd also want all the little guys on my side too. I actually found out about this story through facebook. I think I'd noticed the story while scanning the papers, but skipped over it, as I was busy with midterms. However, when I saw my old KUOW friend, Sara Lerner, had posted the official letter from the networks on her facebook page, I had to take a look. Why? For one thing, I trust Sara and find what she has to say interesting. Another major reason I read about Ms. Saberi was that I thought to myself ... that could be me, and I would want my fellow journalists to be interested in my fate. Ms. Saberi is a freelance journalist, but she is established and has lived in Iran for years. As more and more foreign correspondents are laid off and the ranks of freelancers swell, I hope the networks continue to defend the rights of freelancers who run into trouble for doing nothing more than their job. The spread of news about Ms. Saberi's situation through facebook is also hopeful. But somehow I don't think a letter from Facebook users would have the same impact as one from the networks.

Below is the letter I read on facebook.

MAJOR WORLDWIDE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS PRESS FOR INFORMATION

REGARDING AMERICAN JOURNALIST ROXANA SABERI BEING HELD IN IRAN

NPR, ABC, BBC, FOX, WALL STREET JOURNAL, PBS, FEATURESTORY.COM ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT

Washington, D.C.; March 10, 2009 – On behalf of the family, friends and colleagues of Roxana Saberi, and the many American citizens who share our concerns, we urgently request a series of steps be taken in the case of Roxana Saberi, an independent journalist and dual citizen of the United States and Iran, who is being held in Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran.

We now ask that one or more international organizations that have responsibilities and rights under the Geneva Conventions be permitted access to Roxana immediately to ascertain her health and well-being and to determine the conditions under which she is held.

We now ask that the specific charges against Roxana Saberi be made public. If no charges are filed, we now urge her immediate release and ask that she be given permission to return to her home country, the United States.

For the past six years, Ms. Saberi has resided in Iran, where she is an established and respected professional journalist. She has filed for NPR, ABC, BBC and others. Before her arrest, she was pursuing a master's degree in Iranian studies and international relations and writing a book about Iran.

On Thursday, February 26, nearly a month after the actual event, we learned that Roxana was detained by Iranian authorities in late January. Since then she has been denied contact with family, friends and associates. On February 10, briefly and under apparent duress, she contacted her family to inform them of her arrest and detention and requested their silence. On Sunday March 1, her family revealed the story to their home town press in Fargo, ND and to NPR, given their growing concern over the lack of contact from Roxana.

Roxana Saberi is a U. S. citizen, born in New Jersey, raised in North Dakota and educated in Minnesota. She has many friends and colleagues across the nation. We are deeply concerned about her well-being and the deprivation of her rights, and we will continue to press for action until we are successful.

Signed,

Vivian Schiller
President & CEO, NPR

David L. Westin
President, ABC News

Jon Williams
World Editor, BBC News

Paula Kerger
President & CEO, PBS

Robert Thomson
Editor-in-Chief, Wall Street Journal