Amal Mekki Case | When a Journalist's Origins Become a Controversy

⚠️ Urgent Information — Flash Radio is following this situation in real time. The testimony of Tunisian journalist Amal Mekki, former head of the Arabic section at Swissinfo, highlights the tensions she says she faced within the Swiss media. Her Arab-Muslim identity, her coverage of Gaza, and the place of her personal convictions are at the heart of the matter. ⏱️ 5 minute read. The facts and recent developments Djamal Guettala On October 30, 2024, a question addressed to Amal Mekki by her superior would take a central place in the professional conflict she had with the direction of Swissinfo. 'Can we mention that you are Jewish?' she would have written Mark Livingston, then editor-in-chief of the Swiss media, according to an investigation published on October 16, 2026, by Antithèse. The authors, Martin Bernard and Sid Ahmed Hammouche, claim to have consulted this email. The request would have occurred as Swissinfo prepared a response to the criticisms of Daniel Rickenbacher, a journalist at Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), regarding the treatment of the Middle East by its Arabic section. 'Can we mention that you are Jewish?' Amal Mekki is Tunisian, Arab, and Muslim. In her testimony published on her website, she confirms this exchange and recounts having reminded her superior of her real identity, which he already knew. For her, this incident marks the beginning of a sequence during which her origins and convictions would have taken an excessive place in the evaluation of her work. The case raises a question that goes beyond the individual journey of this journalist: to what extent can a journalist's identity and personal convictions intervene in the assessment of their work, especially when covering a sensitive conflict such as that of Gaza? Previous positions prior to her hiring On December 2, 2024, the NZZ publishes an article dedicated to Amal Mekki.