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The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has revoked the credentials of two Al-Jazeera journalists who previously had access to the exchange floor. A spokesman for the NYSE stated that the exchange had heightened security concerns and was limiting access to the trading floor to journalists engaging in "responsible business coverage." I'll believe this is the motivation when Maria Bartiromo is reporting from the curb outside, thank you. Al-Jazeera, an independent, Qatar-based news organization, has drawn the ire of the U.S. government and much of the public for the incendiary, anti-American tone of its coverage of the war on terrorism and the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Most recently, it broadcast forced interviews with American soldiers taken captive by Iraqi forces. The Geneva Conventions state that prisoners of war should be shielded from public curiosity, and as such, both Iraq and the broadcasting stations are in violation. There's plenty of room for indignation with Al-Jazeera. But the happenings of the U.S. markets are an enormous component of the war coverage, and it goes against every bit of the spirit of free press to bar the network. The U.S. military gets this concept. Presently, Al-Jazeera journalists are "embedded" with American divisions in Iraq, just like journalists from France, Germany, and a whole host of other places not predisposed to pro-American coverage. Al-Jazeera is an independent news organization -- the only one of its kind in the Arab-speaking world. Now it has access to inside briefings by frontline U.S. military, but it doesn't have access to the NYSE floor. There may be valid reasons for the decision, but I find it hard to believe that security issues are appreciably worse in downtown Manhattan now than 18 months ago. The NYSE appears to be singling out Al-Jazeera for banishment as a result of its journalistic voice. This strikes me as colossally ill-advised. The U.S. needs every opportunity to show the Arab world that it stands for freedom of expression, and that it's not simply engaged in an anti-Islamic conflict. As private organizations, our financial institutions can do what they want. But any hint of appearance that these institutions are punishing an editorial organization for its voice isn't a positive. I doubt people overseas will make the distinction that the NYSE is private, not public. The exchange is the nerve center for an enormous component of global commerce, and now the single independent news agency from the Arab world has been told, "You're no longer welcome."
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