Global Post: Tunisia's press revels in new freedom

[pampango]

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/110305/tunisia-press-freedom-newspapers

Ben Ali was ranked as one of “10 worst enemies of the press” in the world according to the Committee to Protect Journalists because of his censorship of the domestic and foreign press and his harsh internet restrictions. Now the Tunisian press is changing at an extremely fast pace. The new government quickly shut down the Communications Ministry that regulated the press. In contrast, the new transitional government is allowing a free public discourse.

Since the overthrow of President Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali on Jan. 14, Tunisians have been waking up everyday with a taste of freedom and that includes the country's newly free press. Despite the new Tunisia's general atmosphere of slight anarchy and economic problems, people are joyful, proud and optimistic about the outcome of their revolution. After 23 years of dictatorship, they are discovering the stimulation of an independent press.

“Before, I didn't buy newspapers, now I do — it's enriching to get different points of view,” said Mohamed Taher Mrabet, a physician, referring to the time when the muzzled press only existed to propagate the government’s agenda.

"The biggest challenge is for journalists to reinvent their right to expression because the craft was killed. The journalism field is on land that was burned by napalm," said journalist Taoufik Ben Brik, to AFP. Ben Brik, 50, was jailed for writing stories critical of Ben Ali.