Monthly Observation Report Freedom of Media in Egypt July 2017 Monthly observation report “Freedom of Media in Egypt” July 2017
Prepared by Ahmed Abo Elmagd Researcher in Individual Freedom and Role of Law Programs
Reviewed by Ahmed Ragab
Cover Design by Abdulrahman Mohamed
Issued by Individual Freedom Program July 2017
The Egyptian Center For Public Policy Studies
21 Abd El-Mgeed El-Ramaly st, 7th floor, Flat 71, Falaki square,Downtown, Cairo, Egypt Tel./Fax. : +202795881 www.ecpps.org
All copyrights are reserved to their respective authors, it is permitted to use the data included after citing the resources, any copyright infringement subjects its perpetrator to legal claims Monthly Observation Report: Freedom of Media in Egypt - July 2017
The Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies (ECPPS) is a non-governmental, non-party and non-profit organization with a mission to propose public policies that aim at reforming the Egyptian legal and economic systems. ECPPS’s goal is to promote the principles of free market, individual freedom and the rule of law
Monthly Observation Report: Freedom of Media in Egypt - July 2017
The Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies issues this monthly observation report on the freedom of media in Egypt as an attempt to monitor the freedom and independence of media in Egypt within the following five spheres:
Legal Political sphere sphere
Economic Performance sphere of media
Role of
Civil society
Monthly Observation Report: Freedom of Media in Egypt - July 201
Contents
Introduction
The Legal Environment
The Political Environment
The Economic Environment
Media Performance
The Role of Civil Society
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Monthly Observation Report: Freedom of Media in Egypt - July 201
o Introduction
This report monitors the legal developments related to the media and press, the free exchange of information, and the rulings issued concerning media professionals. It also monitors the political atmosphere influencing journalists directly or indirectly through censorship over media, through prevention, confiscation and other mechanisms. The report further follows the economic atmosphere and how far the media discourse provides a professional and balanced coverage of events, and how far it provides a platform of expression for all viewpoints, particularly opposition. Finally, the report presents an overview of civil society efforts in the field of advocacy for press freedom and the free exchange of information through reports, conferences and other activities taking place during March.
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Monthly Observation Report: Freedom of Media in Egypt - July 201
July incidents started with heightened impacts of the blockage on some news websites last month when the contracts of journalists in these websites have been ended as in the case of Al-Masreyoon and Masr Al-Arabiya websites. The Press Syndicate meanwhile gave the issue a deaf ear despite increased protests by dismissed journalists. Head of the Press Syndicate Abdelmohsen Salama said that the latest terror attacks leave his hands tied with regards to some situations, particularly with regards to blocked websites, with the syndicate sufficing with referring the issue to the Supreme Council for the Regulation of the Media, in anticipation of a law regulating the work of these websites. In an unusual first instance, the Press Syndicate board did not convene for over a month, in contradiction with the board regulations. Instead, the syndicate focused on providing services like opening a cafeteria for its members, a piece of land for the syndicate club, residential apartments, a hospital, technology allowance for journalists, penalties for the individuals involved in Al-Jazeera’s presence within the syndicate headquarters to cover the journalists’ sit-in during the parliament session discussing the land-border agreement with Saudi Arabia.
The events of the month concluded with President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi calling the media to formulate a “phobia” among Egyptian people around toppling the “state” or regime, stressing the importance of supporting the morale of the Egyptian people facing attempts to debilitate the Egyptian state. The statement, given during the 4th Youth Conference in Alexandria, saw a quick response from the committees regulating the media which declared adopting Sisi’s initiative to “stabilize the state” and spread awareness among the people of the dangers threatening the state and prevent its fall. Media institutions in turn started the campaign to “stabilize the state”.
Thus, between the press syndicate’s refrainment from defending its members and the profession, the president’s calls to the media to spread phobia among citizens of toppling the state, and the response from media regulation entities; the events of the month revolved around accusations to the media and journalism of supporting terrorism and pointing out the danger of social media websites.
Riding the wave, some newspapers launched a campaign concerning “the dangers of information technology, Google and Facebook” due to the control they exert over journalistic content through marketing and promotion/or restriction, and the losses they cause for print media!
As a result, the head of the parliament’s Media, Culture and Antiquities committee proposed a draft law restricting the work of these companies to protect national press institutions!
A number of op-eds reflected this. For example, prof. AbdelMonem Al-Said – appointed in the National Council for Combating Terrorism on July 26 – wrote on Al-Masry Al-Youm on July 17th issue a column entitled “Cyber War and Other Issues” that said:
“Cyber war places the entire world before a difficult choice between the greatest process of speedy communication among humans, or a putting off of all channels of communication and intellectual dialogue among them. Communication means the possibility of infiltration and the opportunity to attack. At the same time, the moment of direction and isolation means no less than crawling back to tardiness and backwardness. But if the US has been prone to infiltration to the extent of manipulating American presidential elections, what can the case be in our country or other countries? The logical question here is how can all this be faced? When two billion users interact, write and discuss things on Facebook around the clock, the result is settled in favor of terrorist organizations or entities like the Russian intelligence.
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Monthly Observation Report: Freedom of Media in Egypt - July 201
On another level, Makram Mohamed Ahmed, Head of the Supreme Council for the Regulation of the Media, said that the council was about to finish preparing a draft law on the freedom of exchanging information within a month. This, while the members of this committee were not set to the time (and while none of the civil society entities that have proposed draft laws were invited neither for the formulation of this committee nor for its meetings).
Certainly, the speed of formulating the draft law is a source of concern, in addition to its formulation in the lack of any civil participation by the concerned entities.
Convictions for journalists in “publishing crimes” did not cease. Mohamed Al-Baz, former editor- in-chief of Al-Bawaba News, and three of his colleagues received a prison sentence in case based on his position as editor-in-chief. Another case was postponed till November, while the criminal court renewed the detention of Al-Hayah photojournalist Magdy Mokhtar, Mohamed Hassan of Al-Nabaa newspaper, Osama Al-Beshbishi of Balady newspaper for 45 days based on accusations of publishing false news.
Meanwhile, armed gunmen kidnapped photojournalist Mohamed Abu El-Nil in Arish city from his home within Arish’s 2nd police station district.
Further, Al-Youm Al-Sabea management informed four of its journalists, orally, of their dismissal after they refused to sign a paper request of a one year unpaid leave as requested by the editor-in- chief. The decision to force a leave, then dismissal, came as a result of the journalists’ stance refusing the border setting agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and the implied assignment of Tiran and Sanafir islands for KSA, as published on Mada Masr website.
As for the performance of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation and the National Press Council, it was marked by their turn into censorship authority rather than committees regulating and defending the media profession, which was clearly reflected in their insistence on controlling and issuing all statements for foreign journalists and permits for party-affiliated as well as independent newspapers.
Additionally, a number of committees have been formed to exclusively watch the media. For example, the Supreme Media Council formed a committee setting the measures of opinion polls and viewership surveys, and the drama monitoring committee during Ramadan.
The Supreme Council for Media Regulation decided to stop all opinion polls by private companies or entities with regards to confirming viewership and listening rates.
An increasingly proposed idea was forming a joint supreme committee among Arab countries to unify the media discourse under claims of combating terrorism. At the same time, the rhetoric is progressively holding the media responsible for terrorism and its spread. Specifically, Karam Gabr said in his interview for Al-Youm Al-Sabea Newspaper that “a frame needs to be defined for a national media discourse that deals with terrorist crimes with decisive mechanisms that prevent any form of sympathy or interpretation of terrorist crimes as cases of religious disagreement, freedom or democracy.”
In the same context, Ahmed Abul Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League, asserted in his speech at the 48th session of the Arab Media Council that “some media platforms in the region have become podiums injecting instigation, discord and instability.”
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Monthly Observation Report: Freedom of Media in Egypt - July 201
Legal Environment
On July 14, Makram Mohamed Ahmed, head of the Supreme Council, said that the council was about to finish formulating a draft on the freedom to exchange information within a month. According to his statement, a committee of 12 outstanding figures of the media and legal representatives, from within and without the council, would be delegated to formulate the law. Akram clarified that council would decide on the final list of the committee members during its next meeting, pointing that other models of the laws on the free exchange of information around the world would be used in the process. He finally commented that the law would contribute to providing information with transparency and credibility to the public,, and facilitate the media role in obtaining all information.
The attack on IT companies, is it a prelude to a law targeting social media websites?
On July 11th, prof. Nader Mostafa, secretary of the parliament’s committee of culture, media and antiquities, launched a severe attack on multinational companies that currently control all press content on the internet through marketing, allowing the content to be reached or restricting it, like Google and Facebook, with no clear or explicit criteria, mentioning that they waste millions of pounds invested in respectable media outlets, and allows these websites to make cost-free financial gains at the expense of Egyptian newspapers.
He asserted that the parliament would study how American newspapers handled Google and Facebook, calling national institutions and media authorities to study and monitor this specific case, to find the learned lessons and formulate an Egyptian study, on par with the American one to monitor the losses caused by Facebook and Google policies. The study would be completed by the Supreme Council and presented to the parliament to take the necessary measures to protect national media institutions and provide a healthy professional environment and allow the free exchange of information.
On July 13th, Al-Youm Al-Sabea published an interview with prof. Mohamed Emara, political marketing consultant, the target behind the inflated monopoly of international technology companies over advertising comes within foreign intelligence plans, particularly American, to control the freedom of the media. These companies have passed unprecedented lines following the publishing of millions of leaked official documents, telephone conversations, and videos through their web pages. The phenomena has embarrassed the [American] intelligence, the Congress and American decision-making circles, causing them to give free reign to technology companies with whom they cooperate publicly and implicitly by collecting information about people all over the world. As a kind of reward, he continued, they overlooked their practices of monopoly over 70% of advertising on the internet in the US alone.
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Monthly Observation Report: Freedom of Media in Egypt - July 201
Emara added that Google and Facebook apply policies that have the potential to destroy hundreds of major newspapers around the world and have control over global public opinion. Being American companies, the risks for Egypt would specifically have a security dimension. Hence, the House of Representatives must call for emergency meetings with the ministries of communication, defense, interior, finance, planning and the National Press Authority to decide on this matter since the impact does not only reflect on newspapers but extends to national security. The impact would happen by spreading political, economic, social and even historical messages through anonymous websites backed or approved by these American websites. As a consequence, generations would be destroyed, the facts falsified, and the state would lose its ability to communicate, act and react, with Egypt’s information provided like a piece of cake to two digital companies aimed for profit.
On July 4th, MP Osama Heikal, Head of the parliament’s Committee of Culture, Media and Antiquities, said that the draft law on the regulation of the press and media would be on top of the committee’s priorities in the parliament’s third session. He rejected the accusations leveled at the committee of being the cause of delay in issuing the law and added that “we were hoping to finish the draft law during the current session, particularly since the law was unified at the beginning before the State Council recommended splitting it into two separate draft laws. The first law was completed and issued, while the second was submitted to the committee in 127 articles full of many details.”
On July 3rd, Judge Magdy Abou El-Ela, head of the Court of Appeals, and Head of the Supreme Judiciary Council, said that the parliament would hold its first meeting in the presence of all members, confirming that, in the coming period, he would exert all effort to remove all hindrances facing press and media professionals in order to facilitate their work and commenting, “nothing outweighs the importance of the press and media”.
Abou El-Ela added that “the parliament would discuss in its meeting appointing an official spokesperson to hand the different media.” He explained that, in case of implementing the decision to appoint a spokesperson, one of the deputies of the Court of Appeal would be selected for this position, whose role would be to inform the media of the decisions and latest inside the parliament.
Investigations and Rulings:
On Saturday July 8th, a Cairo Criminal Court session headed by Judge Mohamed Sherine Fahmi decided to postpone the trial of 48 detainees, that belong to the qualitative operations of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization, accused of perpetrating the violence in Ain Shams district that resulted in the death of journalist Mayada Ashraf, a child named Sherief Abdel Raouf and Mary George.
On Sunday July 8th, the Cairo Criminal Court postponed the trial of Gaber Asfour, former minister of culture, and three journalists at Al-Bawaba newspaper in accusations pertaining to insulting judiciary authority to November 14th due to the absence of the defendants. First Attorney General of Mid Cairo Prosecution had referred former minister of culture Gaber Asfour, Mohamed El-Baz, managing editor of Al-Bawaba newspaper, and two Al-Bawaba journalists Nedal Mamdouh and Mohamed Hamdy Abul Seoud, to the criminal court. The two journalists, Nedal and Mohamed, had reported statements by the former minister at the conference on “Legal Protection of the Freedom of Though and Expression: Toward a Free, Creative Society” held by the Supreme Cultural Council, an affiliate of the cabinet, attended by a large number of officials and cultural elite. The prosecution considered the statements an insult, as Asfour described the General Prosecution’s
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Monthly Observation Report: Freedom of Media in Egypt - July 201 defense in one of the cases of being “more extreme than terrorist organization ISIS”. The quote was part of Gaber’s speech at the conference, published by the accused journalists under the title “Prosecution Discourse more extreme than ISIS”.
On July 9th, Al-Bawaba newspaper lawyer, Ahmed Mokhtar, said that South Cairo Criminal Court issued a ruling in absence against former Al-Bawaba News editor in chief Mohamed Al-Baz, and Rasha Yehia Saad Zaghloul, journalist in the same newspaper, sentencing them to 6 months imprisonment and a EGP 10,000 fine for accusations of “libel” against the leaders of the Egyptian Opera House. The court stated that journalist Rasha Yehia published a report addressed to the opera house and including defaming language, accusing its management of corruption. The lawsuit report considered the second defendant Mohamed El-Baz in violation of his supervisory role on the newspaper’s content as former editor in chief of Al-Bawaba News.
On July 16th, the Administrative Court decided to postpone to September 11th the lawsuit filed by the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayyib and other calling for terminating the broadcast of television show “With Islam” presented by researched Islam Al-Beheiry on Al-Qahera Wal Nas televised channel, preventing him from appearing on satellite channels, and prohibiting the publishing of the show’s episodes. In the claim, the Grand Sheikh said that Al-Beheiry had become used to insulting and attacking Islamic Shariah and tradition, levelling criticism that was not grounded in authentic sources, and lacking the etiquette of dialogue and respect to scholars, abusing the freedom of expression and communications guaranteed by the constitution to destroy the valued tradition of the [Muslim] nation.
On July 26th, North Cairo Criminal Court renewed the detention of Hamdy Mokhtar, photojournalist at Al-Hayah Newspaper, Mohamed Hassan of Al-Naba Newspaper, and Osama Al-Beshbishi of Baladi Newspaper for an additional 45 days on backdrop of accusations of publishing false news. General Prosecution had filed a number of accusations against the defendants including publishing false news, disturbing social peace, and joining a group established on illegal basis. Police arrested the defendants near the Press Syndicate on Abdel-Khalq Tharwat Street as they were shooting a video report.
A joint statement by the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, the Egyptian Agency for Rights and Freedoms, and the Foundation for the Freedom of Thought and Expression condemned the incident where the lawyers of the three journalists Osama Gaber Mohamed, Mohamed Hassan Mostafa and Hamdi Mokhtar Ali (Hamdi Al-Zaeem) – accused in case no. 15060 of 2016 Kasr El-Nil Criminal Court – were provided with contradictory information around the decision of Court District 28, Cairo Criminal Court, regarding the prosecution’s appeal against the decision by Court District 5, Giza Criminal Court, to release the three journalists based on cautionary measures obliging them to
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visit the police headquarters respective to their residence three times a week, decided on March 21st, as the court kkk informed the lawyers that the court dismissed the appeal made by prosecution, supporting the decision to release the defendants with cautionary measures following the end of the hearing.
On the next day, as the lawyers headed to the Central Cairo --- Prosecution to follow up on the execution of the release, they were shocked to be informed of a contradicting decision of accepting the appeal and renewing the detention of the defendants for another 45 days, despite being previously notified of the dismissal of the appeal. The signing organisations stated that such contradictory decisions pose many doubts around the credibility of the judiciary authority in Egypt.
The Political Environment
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called on all media to create a “phobia” among the Egyptian people around toppling the state, stressing the importance of boosting the people’s morale as opposed to undermining the Egyptian state. The president addressed the media during his word at the 4th Youth Conference in Alexandria saying, “you have to work towards creating a phobia around the intentional failure of the Egyptian state as the country’s rough conditions are a fertile soil *for such attempts+.”
On their part, media regulation authorities declared adopting president Sisi’s initiative to “stabilize the state”, and spread awareness among the people of the risks threatening to bring down the state. Karam Gabr, head of the National Press Committee, said that the chief editors of state-run media at the Youth Conference received the president’s assignment to the media, and immediately started preparing press initiatives spreading awareness of the threats and conspiracies levelled at Egypt and attempts to undermine the state. Within the same context, Hatem Zakariya, a member of the Supreme Media Council, expressed support for the president’s initiative, explaining that media institutions are already doing that.
The Press Syndicate
The impact of blocking media websites
On July 4th, the crisis of recently blocking various Egyptian websites came to a peak when these media outlets resorted to dismissing a large number of its employees and reducing salaries to the minimum. Adel Sabri, editor-in-chief of Masr Al-Arabiya website told Al-Masry Al-Youm that he decided to dismiss half of the website’s employees since work has almost entirely been halted for nearly two months. He also decided to reduce employee salaries to the minimum. Gamal Sultan, editor-in-chief of Al-Masreyoon newspaper, said that the management is currently studying cost cutting, and would hold a meeting with the editorial management and department heads to determine the available choice and measures to this end. Sultan added that this step comes as the syndicate refrained from backing the newspaper, or responding to the complaints filed, referring the matter instead to the Supreme Media Council, which in turn ignored it.
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Monthly Observation Report: Freedom of Media in Egypt - July 201
On July 24th, Egyptian authorities blocked Bel-Ahmer website, a non-partisan website publishing opinion editorials for a number of prominent leftist writers.
On July 1st, Secretary General of the Press Syndicate Board Hatem Zakariya said that syndicate office committee meeting, held on Saturday, and headed by General AbdelMohsen Salama, covered some internal syndicate issues and disputes among colleagues and employees, as well as an evaluation of the board performance in the latest period which he described as “good”. In a statement to Al-Shark Al-Awsat news agency, Zakariya denied discussing the issue of blocked news websites, and clarified that the topic had been discussed more than once by the syndicate before being referred to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation to discuss and contact the relevant bodies, pointing out a positive outlook for some websites, yet clarifying that no final agreements have been reached to end the blockage.
Zakariya affirmed that the House of Representatives would issue a legislation particularly addressing websites, whether blocked websites or social media websites that have become part of public work, requiring specific legislations to control the entire media sphere.
On July 8th, journalist and head of the Press Syndicate AbdelMohsen Salama said that the latest terror attacks leave their hands tied with regards to some situations, particularly the blocked websites crisis. He added in statements to the press that he had spoken to the head of the Supreme Media Council and other government authorities to resolve the issue. He continued saying, “I cannot treat the websites separately from the whole scene or justify anything. I stand with freedom unless a specific accusation has been made against the blocked websites, since freedom is the basis.”
On July 24th, 4 members of the press syndicate board, namely Gamal AbdelRehim, Amr Badr, Mahmoud Kamel and Mohammed Saad AbdelHafeez, submitted an official report to the head of the Press Syndicate AbdelMohsen Salama calling for a board meeting within 48 hours in observation of the syndicate law and the interests of the general assembly. The syndicate board had not convened in over a month, in violation of the syndicate law stating that the syndicate board is committed to at least one meeting per month.
The delay in the training and technology allowance raised arguments and dissatisfaction among journalists, as the head of the Press Syndicate had declared the raise as part of his electoral promises, while Mohamed Shabana, the syndicate’s secretary of the treasury, confirmed that the allowance raise would be paid starting from the new fiscal year.
On Thursday July 13th, Press Syndicate Treasury Secretary Mohamed Shabana clarified that the raise would be paid on its due date as of the new fiscal year although its value had not been set yet.
On July 11th, a number of the editors of banned party-affiliated newspapers protested at the press syndicate headquarters, calling for carrying out their demands of being redistributed to other national institutions and the National Distribution Company on par with a similar move made during the era of former General Mamdouh Al-Wali, and in order to resolve insurance issues.
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Monthly Observation Report: Freedom of Media in Egypt - July 201
On July 15th, the board of directors of the New Urban Communities Authority in its meeting chaired by Prof. Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Housing, Utilities and lllll, approved the request made by the Press Syndicate of allocating a piece of land in 6th of October City for a establishing a hospital dedicated to journalists.
On Thursday July 6th, Hatem Zakariya, Secretary General of the Press Syndicate, stressed that any individual involved in allowing brotherhood-associated channels into the syndicate headquarters will be liable and questionable, even if a board member. Zakariya mentioned that a committee was formed by the syndicate board to discuss Al-Jazeera and Brotherhood channel’s broadcast of some journalists’ sit-in at syndicate headquarters around the time of parliament session discussing the agreement of maritime border demarcation with Saudi Arabia, and that syndicate security will be summoned to testify before said committee. He added, “the issue is not merely concerned with Brotherhood channels’ broadcast of the sit-in but the entrance of some political figures, who are not members of the syndicate, thus shoving the syndicate into a dark tunnel of political issues”, and emphasized that witnesses would be listen to and measures would be taken accordingly. On July 1st, Head of the Press Syndicate AbdelMohsen Salama announced the opening of the syndicate training center and cafeteria after its renewal during the first week of July. He said in statements to the press, following the office committee meeting on Saturday, that the annual raise for syndicate employees has been approved at 10%, and that requests for subsidies and other issues related to journalists had been discussed.
On July 12th, Aboel Seoud Mohamed, head of the housing committee of the Press Syndicate, said that submission will start for housing units in Madinaty district as soon as the ministry sends its official letter to the Syndicate defining the area, price and payment schedules to the syndicate during the coming week. Salama had announced earlier the approval of allocating a land for a journalist’s hospital in 6th October City on an area of 2500 sqm.
On July 12th, journalist and Head of the Press Syndicate AbdelMohsen Salama said that the syndicate had completed reclaiming the syndicate club by the Nile, and that a committee headed by Salama was selected as the club’s board of directors. Salama had announced earlier that the journalists’ Nile Club would be luxurious, and continued commenting that “I would not establish anything disproportionate with [the status of journalists and the head of the Press Syndicate would chair the club.”
Supreme Media Council, and National Media Authorit In an interview with Al-Youm Al-Sabea Newspaper on July 15, and in response to a question around proposals made to the Press Syndicate to formulate a higher committee among Arab countries to unify media discourse to combat terrorism, Head of the National Media Authority Karam Gabr said: It is an important proposal to unify the strategic vision facing terrorism. Developments proved that terrorist crimes extend across borders and receive funding from entities with interest to harm the security situation in some countries. Egypt is a particular case since it is the number one targeted country for terrorist crimes. So, in addition to agreeing on unifying the strategic media discourse; frameworks need to be set for a national media discourse dealing with terrorism in decisive and clear-cut mechanisms, preventing any form of sympathy or justification of terror crimes being a form of religious disagreement, or conflict in the context of freedom and democracy, because bombed cars and explosives cannot be faced with words and dialogue. Dialogue can only be with those who exchange ideas and do not carry arms.
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On July 11th, Journalist Karam Gabr said that the coordination committee headed by Prof. Hala Al- Said and the Head of the National Press Authority to propose solutions for the issue of state-owned newspapers defined a general outline of the reforms plans and reorganization of these national institutions.
Karam said that the committee is considering plans for employee training without prejudice to their moral and financial rights while reducing loss-causing activities. Other proposals discuss establishing joint projects between the different institutions to reduce cost and increase resources, in addition to establishing the shareholding companies stipulated by law. He continued saying that “the national authority called for assistance from the committee assistance as well as the technical expertise of concerned ministries to ratify reform projects based on the situation in each institution without the intervention of the authority or the committee, except for consultation and support. As soon as the draft is accepted, it would be presented to the House of Representatives.”
The Head of the National Media Authority clarified that the committee is looking into four parallel issues: the first is the debts of national media institutions. He added that for the first time, an overall estimation of debts in all their forms has been made for over a 50-years’ worth of debt accumulation. He mentioned that resolving this situation requires time, legislations, negotiations with banks, investigating the origin of each debt, and shrinking it to its original size; asserting that the authority has initiated negotiations with some of the banks.
The second file, according to Karam, related to utilizing the assets owned to these national institutions. He added that some institutions, like Al-Ahram, proposed huge investment projects that would end some of the chronic problems in short period of time. He also said that each board of directors in these national institutions is setting a plan to use the assets, and asserted that the authority completed a comprehensive calculation of the obstacles related to some assets owned to national media institutions.
On July 9, journalist Makram Mohamed Ahmed, Head of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, said that the council was anticipating response from Prime Minister Sherif Ismail regarding the request to put the council in charge of issuing permits to foreign reporters. Makram stressed that the council is charged with issuing permits to foreign reporters in addition to follow-up and assessment, according to the law. He called for acknowledging the law, and the fact that the Supreme Council is the authority in charge of foreign reporters’ permits in Egypt.
On July 5, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, chaired by Makram Mohamed Ahmed, decided to form a committee of board members to set the real measures of viewership and opinion polls and end its mission within 10 days. Makram said that the council recommended establishing a - --- company, to work beside the already-working companies. He explained that “we have no issues with Ipsos or other companies offered, but this entity must be a national one within the competitive market to make it more balanced and objective.”
Makram added in a press statement that the report presented by the monitoring committee on broadcast programs during Ramadan reveals a declining level of the dramas presented in some series and programs, and added that the council recommended reproducing old dramas that viewers miss.
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The Supreme Council for Media Regulation also decided to end the opinion polls carried out by private companies or entities regarding viewership and tune-in. The Council Chairman Makram Ahmed emphasized that the decision is in accordance with article 4 of Law no. 92 on the press and media which set the council as the authority in charge of granting permits for monitoring viewership rates, following up the process and approving the results based on the rules determined by the council. A committee was formed to set appropriate measures regulating the matter, including members of the council and professionals from outside the board. The council also recommended establishing a national company for opinion polls, to be a competitive party rather than have monopoly over the polls.
Makram Mohamed Ahmed additionally stated that the council will not intervene with the issue of ending the live broadcast of Al-Hayat satellite channel, since the network has not requested any entity to intervene. The Media Production City had announced on Monday suspending all the services provided to Al-Hayat Network, including the electricity provided for live broadcast, as a preliminary step to terminate the contract signed between the two sides. The media city said that the decision was due to the network’s failure to pay its due debts to the city.
On July 6, Makram Mohamed Ahmed praised Al-Mehwar satellite channel, and its professional media coverage, particularly as the channel cooperated with the Supreme Council, and delayed announcing the results of the Ramadan opinion poll around the best dramas in Ramadan until further coordinated with the council.
On July 26, Hussein Zein, Head of the National Media Authority, assigned the Programs Department of the authority to prepare an outstanding map of programs, aimed at increasing viewer awareness of the threats and risks facing the state, and the conspiracies aimed at toppling it. This came in response to the call made by President Sisi to the media at the closing of the 4th Youth Conference in Alexandria. The president had called for a week under the logo of “Stabilising the Egyptian State” with an aim to protect the state against fragmentation, and spread awareness of the threats of toppling it. Zain said in a statement the day before, “national media must embrace its role of promoting the unity of Egyptians in facing and overcoming threats.”
Prevention of coverage, verbal and physical assault on journalists:
On July 31, Al-Youm Al-Sabea published a statement denoting that the newspaper’s legal representative Anwar Refai would file a complaint to the Press Syndicate asking for referring three of its journalists to --- committee under claims of “insulting Al-Youm Al-Sabea” and “conspiracy with a media organization affiliated with Lebanese Hizbullah,” in a reference to Al-Akhbar Lebanese newspaper.
Newspaper management had verbally informed four of its journalists of their dismissal, after refusing to sign papers for a one-year unpaid leave, based on a request from the editor-in-chief Khaled Salah. The four journalists are Maher Abdel-Wahed, Abdelrahman Maklad, Medhat Safwat, and Samar Salama. A source closely in touch with the dismissed journalists told Mada Masr that another six journalists signed the unpaid leave papers. The decision to enforce a leave followed by the dismissal came on a background of the journalists’ opposition to the border demarcation agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and the implied assignment of Tiran and Sanafir islands to the Kingdom, according to Mada Masr sources.
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Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper had published on July 29 a report entitled “Egyptian Media on an Enforced Leave” where the source closely associated with the journalists, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that Khaled Salah explained the action against journalists by rhetorically inquiring, “Can you work in Al-Masry Al-Youm and criticize La Poire?,” in a reference to businessman Salah Diab’s ownership of both Al-Masry Al-Youm and patisserie chain La Poire. According to the source, Salah continued saying that “in Al-Youm Al-Sabea, you can’t insult the state, the president or criticize them.”
On Thursday July 6 evening, unknown militants kidnapped a journalist in Al-Arish. Sources and eyewitnesses said that unknown militants kidnapped Mohamed Abul-Nil from his home in the second police district of Al-Arish, taking him to an unknown destination. Sources added that the militants also confiscated Abul-Nil’s car, camera, and laptop.
Sulayman Al-Hakim, journalist at Al-Masry Al-Youm, confirmed that, for the third week in a row, his articles have been banned from publishing for political reasons related to the topic of the article. Atef Badr, judicial reporter at Al-Masry Al-Youm, said that Beni Suef Criminal Court prevented journalists, photographers, and media representatives from entering with mobile phones, laptops, cameras or any digital device at the hearing session for Mohamed Badei, Muslim brotherhood leader, and 92 others in the case known as “Beni Suef incidents”. Within the same context, Islam Al- Khayyat, journalist at Al-Bawaba News, confirmed that he and his fellow journalists and satellite reporters were prevented from attending the meeting of the ministers of local development and agriculture with their deputies.
On July 11, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalist (ARIJ) expressed surprise over Jordanian authorities’ decision to prevent fellow journalist Wael Mamdouh, working at Al-Masry Al-Youm, from entering the country and send him back to Cairo on Tuesday July 11. Wael had arrived at Queen Alia Airport Monday evening to participate in a training workshop on the production and narration of digital reports, organized by Arij in Amman.
Censorship over content
At the 48th session of the Arab Media Council held on July 11 at the Arab League secretariat headquarters, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit noted in his word how the media was an effective player in the sweeping events overtaking the Arab region within the last years. Some of the Arab media platforms had regrettably become part of the crises instead of part of the solution; playing a negative role in the incidents in some of the Arab countries rather than helping Arab citizens decode their complex reality. Some media outlets in the region, he added, have become platforms for instilling incitation, strife, and instability, inflicting Arab mentality with this scream-out media that claims to practice the freedom of expression whereas in reality they are playing a destructive role that lead to blasting conflicts.
On July 15th, State Security Prosecution, in a press statement, called on the media to stop speculating and forecasting the results of investigations that have not started yet. The statement was in relation to an incident where a number of tourists in one of the resorts in Hurghada, Red Sea, were stabbed. The identity, nature, and motives of the perpetrator were not revealed yet, and the State Prosecution mentioned that the identity and affiliations of the perpetrator were being investigated, while no label had been attached to the incident, whether it is a solitary act, a criminal incident, a terrorist act, or otherwise.
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On July 17, Hamdy Al-Kanissi, Head of the Media Syndicate said that the syndicate monitored the violations made by Shymaa Gamal, TV host of Al-Mushagheba program (The Troublemaker) aired on LTC satellite channel. In one of the episodes on drug addiction, the presenter took out a bag of white substance, and sniffed it on air saying, “I promised the caller that I would sniff heroin on air, and here do I fulfill my promise, but it’s a good sniff.” Al-Kanissi said the act was an outright violation of ethical and professional standards, confirming that the syndicate has decided to suspend the said presenter for three months, and that the channel must enforce this decision to avoid being held jointly responsible for the act.
The Economic Environment
On July 10, Abdel Mohsen Salama, head of the Press Syndicate, declared the near completion of a draft law of “press stamp” to provide a relative financial independence for the syndicate. Prime Minister Sherif Ismail had confirmed in an earlier meeting with Salama that the cabinet supports the legislations which the syndicate would push forward in the coming period; most notably the draft law on the “press stamp” to provide a relative financial independence to the syndicate, the law on the free exchange of information, and the draft of a new syndicate law. The draft laws would be presented to the government following their discussion internally within the syndicate.
Media Performance
On July 24, Al-Youm Al-Sabea newspaper published an article under the title of “revolutionaries have torn each other to pieces, insult, libel and dishonoring among political activists” citing Wael Abbas as saying, “Thank God the revolution has not succeeded”, Norhan Hefzy saying, “he’s upset because Douma used to call him “The Big Ear” (in a reference to Wael Abbas)”, Sanaa Seif saying “cheap”, and Facebook users saying, “they have shown their true selves”. The article went on to say that “if you would like to realize the volume of the disaster that would have befell Egypt, if these revolutionaries and their followers assumed any positions in the government, just look at the fight that has erupted among some of those who call themselves political activists on Facebook. The fight witnessed an exchange of the worst insults, foul language, and accusations to each other of being traitors, foreign agents, in addition to other shameful slandering.”
The Evaluation and Monitoring Committee of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation monitored what was referred to as “extreme violations appearing in 32 series aired on different channels during last Ramadan, specifically scenes that were unfamiliar to Egyptian society’s traditions and its ethical standards.” The committee said in a report that the violations in these artworks were evident in the language used, using straight-out and explicit insults, in addition to the derisive, vulgar dialogue that affects the social culture. The report commented on some of the ideas spread in some of the series, which the report deemed unsuitable to the social goals of development, not to mention tarnishing the reputation of some social categories and professions.
The report added that 7 dramas, out of a total of 39 series aired in Ramadan, “showed commitment to creativity, productive elevation, good acting and technical performance, in addition to the quality of the scenario, direction, theme music, and narrative innovation.” The Supreme Media Council, headed by journalist Makram Mohamed Ahmed, decided to form a committee of council members
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to set the “real” measures and viewership standards that would be completed in 10 days. Makram said in a statement that the council recommends establishing a national company to operate alongside the already-existing companies. He continued, “we have no disagreement with Ipsos or other companies offered. Our only condition is that this national entity must come in the context of a competitive market, leading to a more balanced and objective market.”
It must be noted that the assessment is not based on any constitutional or rights-related point of reference, but rather ethical views rooted in the customs and traditions adopted by the committee members.
The Role of Civil Society Research Papers:
The Association for the Freedom of Thought and Expression issued a report entitled (The Return of Guardianship) in response to interference from the Supreme Media Council with regards to Ramadan dramas. The report said: The Supreme Council for Media Regulation formed this year is seeking to interfere with the content of television series and threatens to sanction satellite channels. Through this legal commentary, the Association for the Freedom of Thought and Expression is alert innovators of the danger of silence regarding these practices, highlighting the legal violations committed by the council within these interferences.
The council decided not to miss the annual drama season without applying further pressures on creative industries, as if the art arena requires further censorship and restrictions. The council first filed a complaint to the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayyib regarding one of the ads which the council thought undermines the state. Al-Tayyib then issued an urgent decision suspending the ad.
In its June 7th session, the Supreme Council issued a report entitled “monitoring violations in Ramadan series and programs between 27 May to 6 June 2017”. The report shows a monitoring of what the council called “works that relied mainly on verbal derision, bold scenes, and political references with not attention to content or a real message”. During the meeting, the council approved a decision to impose a EGP 200,000 fine on each satellite channel, EGP 100,000 on radio stations for every foul word spread through one of these media. Permits shall be cancelled for Media outlets that repeatedly violate these rules or fail to commit to the penalty within 6 months, with the licensing process renewed all over again. The decision would apply as of June 15 2017, and, as this report was being written, the council affirmed that the fine would be applied decisively and immediately.
Issue 35 of the Egyptian File magazine issued by Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, for July 2017, discussed the “Dilemmas and Transformations of the Press and Media in Egypt”. Prof. Hassan Abu Taleb, consultant at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, discussed the law on the institutional organization of the press and media issued by the parliament in December 2016, despite journalists’ objections to this law. The issue also tackled the formation of the three media authorities; the Supreme Media Council, National Media Council, and National Press Council. Professor Hassan noted that the media law was solely concerned with the organizational sides of the profession, without regard to the rights of journalists and media professionals, in addition to the lack of representation for the private media sector.
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Prof. Hanan Badr, professor of press at the Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University, discussed the situation and role of private press and media institutions in Egypt. She observed that the situation has been changing for the Egyptian press, from opening the space to limitations, in most of Egypt’s political phases. During the era of Mubarak, a margin of freedom was available to the press, added to the regime’s need to make up for the social demand for press institutions. With the coming of Jan 25 revolution, this balance became at stake, as media integrity was undermined after proving it was completely detached from reality due to its loyalties and interests. However, the media witnessed a grand open space in the era following Mubarak, as some new media platforms were born as a result of the old media’s loss of integrity. Following summer 2013, the regime was keen on controlling media content, and Hanan views that the economic crisis in Egypt has influenced the media, with employee payment delays and the cancellation of some print papers.
Prof. Mohamed Ezz Al-Arab, Managing Editor of the Arab Strategic Report at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, monitors the changes in regional media, observing that the media has gained a political dimension, after turning into a central mechanism used by most countries, as well as non-state actors, to achieve their targets and interests by steering public opinion with regards to specific cases. The professor also noted the politicization of the media with the emergence of new types of media including party-affiliated media, sectarian media, regional media, the media of militant militias, selective media, and revolutionary media. The reasons behind the heightened media politicization is the increased intensity of armed conflict in the Arab region, and the increased number of actors in this regard, in addition to the blasted disagreement in the region, with the low financial capabilities and independence of the media. To face this phenomenon, he suggests decreasing the intensity of tensions and conflict through international efforts, and issuing laws regulating media work.
Al-Ahram journalist Sayed Mahmoud highlighted the challenges facing newspapers and state-run media, raising the question of whether media institutions are able to cover the amounts of state funds spent on them. To resolve this issue, he proposed two strategies: the first involves turning state media into several media institutions, and the second proposes privatizing state media. Nevertheless, the problem with media work remains the structure. In fact, the press and media regulation law issued lately shows a number of negative indications, including proof that the media in Egypt suffers very difficult circumstances; what affirms that any legislative development requires – before anything else – a political system that believes in pluralism, as even before its issuance, the press law faced a number of objections within media circles around the formation of authorities and their competencies.
Prof. Adel Abd El-Sadek, Head of the Media Studies Program at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, focused on the challenges of regulating digital media, seeing that the reason for its rising role is owing to its low cost, fast spread, in addition to the increasing number of issues raised through its platforms and their impact on the youth. Thus, digital media role surpassed traditional media, forming alternative platforms like media portals, news websites, YouTube channels, and smart phone applications. Prof. Adel believes that this new media has broken the delineation between the press and the media, and imposed new changes related to the skill of interacting with new mediums and technologies, and the issues of training and press burdens that negatively impacted print media presence and continuity in view of the absence of intellectual property standards, an ailing public culture, and feeble publicity.
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Ahmed Kamel El-Beheiry, researcher in the field of terrorism at Al-Ahram Center, followed Muslim Brotherhood media between action and fall. He stated that media has always been one of the brotherhood’s most important tools along its history, as the group used it in dealing with different regimes whether at times of coalition, bans or disagreement. In the post June 30, 2013 era, and with the state of media restrictions on the MB, the group resorted to websites as a survival tool to escape the media blockage, as alternative media played a major role in restructuring the group and spreading its ideologies besides the mobilization in different protests. Ahmed believes alternate brotherhood media has been characterized by specialization and diversity, covering news and social content, as well as official content for data and official MB statements, content devoted to solidarity with the detained, pages for anti-regime, police and army incitement.
Regional Center for Rights and Freedoms issued a study entitled “Various Ropes: The Relation between Egyptian Media and the Regime in the Last Decade, a reading of the Law on the Regulation of Media Institutions”. The study followed the relation between the media and power starting at the end of the Mubarak rule, in which revolution preludes starting appearing, and moving to the era where the Military Council took power, followed by parliamentary and presidential elections that brought the MB to power, the June 30 protests that toppled Mohamed Morsi and brought the Head of the Constitutional Court Adli Mansour as an interim president, and ending with the election of General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as president of the country. In this process, the study investigates the situation for four media sides: private press and national state-run press, government-run television, and private satellite channels. It follows an outline divided into two timelines marked by 3 July 2013 as a dividing line. The first section of the study looks prior to that date into an era that witnessed dramatic media changes, from a tight grip under Mubarak to relative relaxation within the same era, to extreme freedom coming forth with the revolution, to the military council era considered one of the best phases for Egyptian media, with the most open expression and freedom, to the MB rule that saw increasing restrictions on freedoms in general, and media freedom in particular.
The second section of the study focuses on the period following July 3 2013, where Adli’s interim government took over, which witnessed a continuing degradation of freedoms in general and media freedom in particular, up to the Sisi rule.
In the third section, the study focuses on the Law on the Regulation of Press and Media Institutions ratified by the parliament in December 2016, discussing in details its articles and items, considering the law a model of authorities’ approach to the media.
The National Council for Women organized a press conference to announce the final report monitoring the image of women in Egyptian dramas aired during Ramadan as well as in advertising. Dr. Suzan Al-Kallini, council member and head of the council’s media committee, said that the council formed a committee to monitor and analyse the content of Ramadan dramas and write a report on how they tackled women issues, the portrayal of women, whether negative or positive, the details of the image, and approach of presentation, to derive indications that would be announced in the conference, in addition to a complete report by the Supreme Media Council.
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The report reported some of the major negative features in television series, namely: - An overwhelming number of scenes showing drugs, foul language, and outrageously revealing outfit - Establishing ideas of freedom from customs and traditions by focusing on scenes that contradict with social traditions, such as showing women taking drugs, gambling, drinking or smoking. - Associating the idea of women’s freedom with freedom from social traditions through some erroneous practices like women smoking hookah, or wearing tight, revealing clothes.
This reflects the council’s very conservative view of women rights, and its keenness to stabilize a typical view of women as held by conservative societies; and its critique of drama in a manner that reflects an attempt to morally judge innovative and intellectual works.
Events
The National Council for Women, headed by Prof. Maya Morsi, and all its members, congratulated journalist Karima Kamal for winning the 2017 Editorial Leadership award for the “Women in the News” program. Global Press Organisation had announced One Evra about Karima’s win. Karima is a columnist and contributing editor at Al-Masry Al-Youm, and she, alongside Pamilla Sitoni, editor of the International Department of the National Media Group, and Managing Editor for The East African newspaper, won the Editorial Leadership awards for the “Women in the News” program for 2017. Karima had been a member of the National Council of Women in its former formation.
On July 26, the Individual Freedoms Program at the Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies (ECPPS) organized a round table entitled “How would Media Groups Deal with News Website Blockage?”. The meeting discussed the impact of the website blockage, how the press community would face such blockage, and alternative means to face the blockage of a number of websites. A number of guests attended the round table including Ahmed Abul Magd, researcher at the ECPPS, Fathy Magdy, Managing Editor for Al-Masreyoon website, and Adel Sabry, Chief Editor of Masr Al-Arabiya.
On July 20, the Individual Freedoms Program of the ECPPS organized an open talk entitled “Towards a Free Exchange of Information in Egypt”. The talk aimed at reviewing the monthly monitoring of media freedom in Egypt for May 2017, discussing the status of information exchange in Egypt, discussing comparative experiences of information exchange laws in other countries, and coming up with recommendations regarding a draft law for information exchange. Among the attendees were Yehia Allash, journalist and former head of the Press Syndicate, Ahmed Kheir, and Head of the Center for Information Technology Support, and Mohamed Habib, legal researcher at the Governance Center affiliated with the Ministry of Planning.
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