Media in Egypt face a crossroads
EGYPT’s media does not enjoy a favourable reputation with a Press Freedom ranking of 161, 130 places behind South Africa on the 2017 global list of 180 countries compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
But, according to those tasked with monitoring the media in Egypt, the government of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is progressively seeking to change perceptions of the country’s restrictive media practices and usher in a time of greater freedom from government control, and a more open approach towards access to information.
It is difficult on a short visit to a country to assess its media’s freedom but, looking at Cairo’s newspapers over the week of my stay earlier in the month, a pro-government news agenda is apparent, especially in state-owned media, with reports of President el-Sisi’s meetings with world leaders and discussions on security in the region dominating front pages.
In meetings with journalists, their interest was foremost on how I was enjoying my visit to the country, although I was asked for my opinion on reporting on terrorism, a question which left me mindful of the stability we enjoy in South Africa.
The terrorist attack on Al-Rawda mosque in the northern Sinai Peninsula happened after my return but vivid details were widely reported, not only in the Egyptian media but worldwide. Egypt’s reaction to terrorism is a prominent theme and yesterday, the president gave his army and police forces three months to restore security and stability in Sinai.
Responsibility for the official line of information is the task of State Information Service (SIS), which provides information but also drives awareness and public relations for the Egyptian government. It is headed by Diaa Rashwan with its reach extending far beyond Cairo through the Foreign Press Centre and Cairo Foreign Press Club, as well as press and information offices across the world, including one in Pretoria.
In an interview at SIS headquarters – on the sidelines of an African Union of Journalists’ training for young journalists in Cairo the week before the attack – Rashwan spoke of the influence enjoyed by Egypt’s media and its expansion in recent years, with scores of news outlets and a growing foreign media contingent in the country because of recent historical events, and its geopolitical importance within both the Arab and African regions.
In his career as a journalist, editor, head of the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, Press Syndicate and SIS, Rashwan has witnessed significant change in Egypt, from the end of the lengthy rule of President Hosni Mubarak during the “January” revolution of 2011 and his successor, Mohamed Morsi, being ousted two years later in mass protests to be replaced with el-Sisi.
Rashwan explained that the Supreme Council for the Regulation of Media takes members from various institutions, including the judiciary and journalists’ associations, and incorporates arms to manage state-owned media outlets – the National Press Organisation for print media – and the National Media Organisation which encompasses the broadcast media.
The council, chaired by veteran editor and former chair of the Egyptian Press Syndicate, Makram Mohamed Ahmed, is seen as “a first” for Egypt in the intention that it operates independently of the government, although journalists are clearly expected to co-operate.
Rashwan cited an example of a foreign correspondent who had produced a lengthy article about the state of Egypt quoting a plethora of anonymous sources, stating that the council must ensure that journalists abide by standards and ethics of their profession, as well as respect the laws of the country.
While he sees it as the state’s function to provide the media with verified information, he acknowledged a “heavy bureaucracy” in Egypt, and said work was being done to make this process more dynamic and responsive to the media’s needs. He said he would welcome a South African media office in Cairo as news on Egypt came mainly from Western agencies.
Egypt’s print media is vast, with more than 500 newspapers and other print publications, the oldest being state-owned Al-Ahram, established more than 140 years ago and the most widely circulated daily newspaper in the region with a network of newspapers, weeklies and special-interest magazines in Arabic, English and French, and which has always been regulated.
In a separate interview, Abdel Moshen Salama, editor of the Al-Ahram daily, expressed his confidence in the continued success of the paper started in 1875, despite international trends which have seen a decline in print circulation. This, he said, was due to its reputation as a trusted news source over decades, and its widespread audience reach across Egypt and the Arab world.
Egypt has state-owned, partisan, and private media; television is popular and radio and the private media have seen a resurgence. During and after the Arab Spring, online and social media – notably Facebook – play an important role in daily life in Egypt. However, some online sites, including RSF and Human Rights Watch, news sites and blogs are blocked because of content which is adjudged to be anti-Egypt, and this week a Foreign Ministry spokesman lashed out at an article in The Guardian, describing it as a glorification of terrorism.
The challenge for traditional print media is to remain a “truthful” source of news in the face of fake and biased reporting, said Salama. Asked how his title’s content choices were made he seemed a bit bemused, noting that newspapers come “after the news”, so the quality of their reporting is what makes them stand apart in what is clearly a contested space in Egypt’s media.
Boje was a special guest at the African Union of Journalists’ course. Her trip was facilitated by the Press and Information Office of the Embassy of Egypt in Pretoria.