Qatar World Cup imposes 'chilling' restrictions on media

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/oct/15/qatar-world-cup-tv-reports-restrictions

Qatar World Cup imposes ‘chilling’ restrictions on media

Shanti Das
Sat 15 Oct 2022 10.06 EDT

International television crews in Qatar for the Fifa World Cup will be banned from interviewing people in their own homes as part of sweeping reporting restrictions that could have a “severe chilling effect” on media coverage.

Broadcasters, such as the BBC and ITV, will also be forbidden from filming at accommodation sites, like those housing migrant workers, under the terms of filming permits issued by the Qatari government.

Instead, they will be permitted to film in public places in only three locations in Doha: the Corniche waterfront promenade, the West Bay area and the Towers area.

Capturing footage “near or within” government buildings, universities, places of worship and hospitals is also prohibited, along with recording on “any privately owned property”, even with the owner’s consent.

The restrictions are within a list of conditions that outlets must agree to when applying for a filming permit from the Qatari authorities to “capture photography and videography of the most popular locations around the country”. They also apply to photographers but do not explicitly refer to print journalists who do not film their interviews.

The rules do not prohibit reports on specific subjects, but barring crews from filming on private property – “including but not limited to houses, apartment complexes, accommodation sites” – is likely to make it difficult for them to investigate reported abuses, such as the mistreatment of migrant workers, or to conduct interviews on subjects people may be reluctant to discuss in public, such as LGBTQ+ rights.

he rules also say applicants “acknowledge and agree” they will not produce reports that may be “inappropriate or offensive to the Qatari culture, Islamic principles” or “may arouse ethnic or religious disturbances”. They add that organisations will be “held responsible for criminal and civil liability for any breach of the above mentioned provisions when filming”.

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