ABSTRACT
“Journalist”: In the Arab world, the definition of that term has been as malleable as that of “democrat.” Indeed, the two are inextricably linked. Historically, the five Ws of journalism—who, what, where, when, and why—had more to do with Arab journalists themselves than the story they were reporting. Who did they work for, what was the political climate, where and when were they plying their craft, and why had they become a journalist in the first place? In short, was the system under which they toiled some semblance of a democracy or an Orwellian system where “democrat” meant precisely the opposite? This is what dictated whether the term “journalist” defined a person who functioned as a watchdog or as a lapdog, a check on power or a mouthpiece for those who abused it.
