On the evening of 14 August Al-Ahad TV aired Fuad al-Halfi of the Basra Journalists Syndicate saying the treatment of journalists in Basra was an explicit violation of the right to convey information, that the minister's protection detail told them the list of channels admitted to the oil field came from the oil minister personally, that the real reason for the exclusion was fear of reporters' awkward questions, and that the minister's apology was inadequate and set a dangerous precedent. Roughly twelve minutes later the same channel posted the oil minister saying the exclusion from the Faiha field was caused by an individual error. Both items are single-channel; the syndicate member's account of the minister's personal involvement is uncorroborated in the collected material.
- Al-Ahad TVAAH — official14 Aug, 20:52
“What happened to the journalists in Basra is an explicit violation of the right to convey information... The list of channels to be admitted to the oil field was sent by the oil minister personally... The reason the channels were barred from the oil field is fear of reporters' awkward questions to the minister... We call on the prime minister to stand against these assaults.”
ما حصل في البصرة بحق الصحفيين هو انتهاك صريح للحقوق في منع إيصال المعلومة... قائمة القنوات التي ستدخل الى الحقل النفطي أرسلت من وزير النفط شخصيا... سبب منع القنوات من الدخول الى الحقل النفطي الخوف من أسئلة المراسلين الحرجة للوزير... ندعو رئيس الوزراء الى الوقوف بوجه هذه الاعتداءات
- Al-Ahad TVAAH — official14 Aug, 21:04
“The oil minister: preventing journalists from entering the Faiha field was caused by an individual mistake.”
وزير النفط: منع الصحفيين من دخول حقل الفيحاء سببه خطأ فردي
AAH's channel is pressing a serving oil minister over access to an oil field while presenting itself as the aggrieved party, which puts a faction media outlet in the position of arbiter of press-freedom grievance against the ministry that controls southern oil operations.