Can we tell the truth when covering the Arab world?

What are we getting when we read news stories and analysis from the Middle East? Are we getting the truth, half the truth or nothing near the truth? In Egypt there is censorship that makes telling the truth a life-threatening business. We journalists have to be cautious because every word we write (if and when we are allowed to publish) could result in a tarnished reputation, house arrest, jail, torture and many other authoritarian practices. In Syria, there is one narrative, no one dares tell any other story. And for most news organizations it has just become a tally of dead, displaced and drowned. In Libya, in a highly polarized environment, reporting the full truth is an impossible business, and also very dangerous. Are you writing from Tripoli or Benghazi, are you using sources close to Haftar or Sanalla, are you covering politics or the economy? Can you really be safe? Can you tell the whole story?