Commentary: Journalism is not a crime … but maybe golf ought to be

Oklahoma City – We’ve seen some truly brutal days for journalists lately.

In Palestine, the government of Israel was caught in an apparent attempt to cover up the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Abu Aqleh.

Recently released video shows the moments before Aqleh’s shooting death as a group of journalists come under fire. The BBC’s Tom Bateman released the video on Twitter, labeling it “distressing content.” The group of journalists, some wearing jackets emblazoned “PRESS”, came under fire unprovoked as they were reportedly approaching Israeli soldiers.

Israeli officials said Palestinians were to blame — even releasing a video showing Palestinian fighters shooting weaponry — but in the face of evidence otherwise, they walked the claim back. An Israeli human rights group outed that video as being taken elsewhere.

It doesn’t matter much anyway, as the Israeli government already said it would not investigate the incident. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/19/israel-will-not-hold-criminal-inquiry-into-killing-of-journalist-shireen-abu-aqleh

To add more indignity to the situation, Israeli forces attacked Aqleh’s funeral, clubbing pallbearers, causing them to drop her casket at one point. They also deployed stun grenades into the crowd, the largest gathering in the territory since 2001 — a full 21 years ago. https://apnews.com/article/shireen-abu-akleh-journalist-funeral-west-bank-bb71e2ec64dd034066bc6df4a9aa2fb3

Amid Israel’s actions, a group of U.S. congressmen has started a letter campaign to ask the FBI to investigate the murder. Maybe your member of Congress was one of them? Doubtful…but mine will be getting a call, that is for sure. Aqleh was an American citizen after all. https://theintercept.com/2022/05/16/israel-shireen-abu-akleh-fbi-investigation-congress/

However, if the aftermath of the death of Jamal Khashoggi — an American resident and father to two U.S. citizens — tells us anything, it is unlikely our government will act unless it does so on behalf of the state, not the deceased.

President Joe Biden flip-flopped on any attempt to punish King Mohammed Bin Salman, “MBS”, for Khashoggi’s death, apparently.

See, what the AP had to say:

Biden’s inaction against the prince was a turnabout from his campaign when Biden spoke scathingly of the royal family and said he wanted to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” for the killing and other abuses.

And ….

We held accountable all the people in that organization — but not the crown prince…” Biden said. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-jamal-khashoggi-united-states-eada17b53d9924c5175b84990f5e0477

Not that his predecessor was any better. In fact, President Donald Trump’s treatment of the situation was far worse.

Trump reportedly bragged about helping MBS escape public condemnation for Khashoggi’s death:

I saved his a**,” President Trump said about the US outcry about Khashoggi’s killing, according to Business Insider, quoting from a copy of (Bob) Woodward’s book.I was able to get Congress to leave him alone. I was able to get them to stop,” Trump said. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/10/trump-boasted-he-protected-mbs-after-khashoggi-hit-report

As a refresher, on Oct. 2, 2018, Khashoggi was trapped in the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Turkey where he was tortured and murdered. A 15-man assassin crew held him down and cut off his fingers — the tools of his trade — before killing him and dismembering the rest of his body.

To make matters worse, a Turkish court recently halted the trial of Khashoggi’s assassins, allowing it to be transferred to Saudi Arabia, where they will undoubtedly be applauded by MBS. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61021185

According to Middle East Eye, MBS was allegedly personally delivered Khashoggi’s fingers after the journalist had been killed.“MBS always said that he will cut off the fingers of every writer who criticises him,” a source told Middle East Eye. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/revealed-saudi-death-squad-mbs-uses-silence-dissent Meanwhile, professional golfer Greg Norman recently explained away Khashoggi’s death.

According to The Guardian: “This whole thing about Saudi Arabia and Khashoggi and human rights; talk about it, but also talk about the good that the country is doing in changing its culture. Look, we’ve all made mistakes and you just want to learn from those mistakes and how you can correct them going forward.”
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/may/12/seriously-misguided-amnesty-angry-at-greg-normans-comments-on-khashoggi

Norman did not blink in defending Khashoggi’s killing as a simple mistake. After all, the king gave him $2 billion to start a golf classic.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/61401346

As Upton Sinclair once said, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”

Indeed, some of those golfers who have signed up to compete in Norman’s and MBS’s tournaments just wrapped up involvement in the US PGA Championship which was played at Southern Hills in Tulsa.

Here is a short list of players rumored to be interested in the Saudi tournament:

• Lee Westwood
• Richard Bland
• Martin Kaymer
• Louis Oosthuizen
• Sergio Garcia
• Adam Scott
• Graeme McDowell
• Bubba Watson
• Ian Poulter
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Phil Mickelson

Also, the courses where they’ll be playing.

Note the U.S. locations in particular:

• June 9 – 11: Centurion Golf Club – London

• June 30 – July 2: Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club – Portland

• July 29 – 31: Trump National Golf Club Bedminster – New Jersey

• Sept 2 – 4: The International – Boston

• Sept 16 – 18: Rich Harvest Farms – Chicago

• Oct 7 – 9: Stonehill – Bangkok

• Oct 14 – 16: Royal Greens Golf Club – Jeddah

• Oct 27 – 30: Trump National Doral – Miami

Here is what golf legend Phil Mickelson had to say of MBS and the Saudi Arabians, according to Bleacher Report:

“They’re scary motherf–kers to get involved with. We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10029953-saudi-backed-liv-golf-invitational-to-offer-255m-in-purse-money-over-8-2022-events

After the comments were released Mickelson tried to note they were “off the record” despite making them on a recording, as if it were the journalist’s fault for reporting the truth.

Looks like another in the sand trap to me.

Man, I’d be happy to hear what the rest of these professional golfers and golf course owners have to say about it. Maybe an intrepid young reporter will find out for us.

I’m not counting on former President Trump canceling any events … but who knows about the others?

South of the border

Meanwhile, to the south in Mexico – the journalist murder capital of the world three years running – has outdone itself. Not even halfway through 2022, more Mexican journalists have been killed than in the entirety of 2021.

Nearly two weeks ago, three journalists were killed over a period of three days in Mexico.

From National Public Radio:

Two Mexican journalists from the news website El Veraz — Yesenia Mollinedo, the director, and Sheila Johana García, a reporter — were shot to death Monday in the eastern state of Veracruz, said the state’s attorney general, Verónica Hernández.

Also…Luis Enrique Ramírez, 61, a columnist for El Debate in Sinaloa, was killed last Thursday. Ramirez died from blows to the head and also had a gunshot wound to the leg, according to a statement from the State Attorney’s General Office in Sinaloa.
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/10/1097821325/mexico-journalists-killed-sinaloa-veracruz-attorney-general

That makes 12 journalists killed in Mexico this year alone. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/06/ninth-journalist-killed-in-mexico-this-year-as-violence-against-media-soars

These deaths and the uncaring nature many are taking to them reaffirm my commitment to this craft and to multi-lingual, multi-cultural journalism and treating journalism as a global profession.

Mexican journalist Manuel Ruiz described his experiences during a visit to Oklahoma Community College in April.

“It’s a soft journalism,” Ruiz said of United States journalism.

In Mexico, he said the state and the criminals are aligned against reporters.

“It’s difficult to exercise true journalism because either the bullets kill you or hunger because of the institutions or the narco-traffickers or the government,” Ruiz said.

Ruiz also spoke of the cartel’s morbid messaging … “If they cut off a finger, it was somebody who had passed information.”

Sounds familiar doesn’t it? When does the cartel become the authority? And when do we hold the authority accountable?

The Journalism and Broadcasting Program at Oklahoma Community College will be releasing a mini-documentary shot by Hao Mai and Dr. David Zeoli and directed by Mai on Ruiz’s talk on the dangers of being a journalist in the coming days.

Please do look out for it. And pay attention to your journalists, you’ll miss us when we are gone.

Today I’m giving the finger – the middle one – to MBS, the government of Israel, the Turkish judicial system, Narco terrorists, corrupt Mexican officials, the 15-man assassin team (seriously 15 men for one aging overweight journalist?!), and least of all the pitiful, money-grubbing Greg Norman (who I now plan to heckle during a backswing when he returns to the senior tour someday).

Boo! And two big middle fingers for both Biden and Trump for their cowardice. Something I think we can all agree on for once. I hope you’ll join me.

Editor’s Note: Kyle Barnett is a veteran, award-winning journalist and media executive who serves as Professor of Journalism at Oklahoma City Community College. Be forewarned, if anyone lays a finger on his reporters there will be hell to pay, you can guarantee that.