By Cam McGrath
"CAIRO, Feb 14, 2010 (IPS) - Not long ago an editorial like the one that appeared in the independent Al- Dustour newspaper this week might never have made it into print.
In his weekly column, entitled 'Fraud for the benefit of Egypt', chief editor Ibrahim Eissa accuses Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak of systematically and meticulously rigging elections and referendums to perpetuate his rule. While many Egyptians may suspect this, just a decade ago a journalist would likely have been imprisoned for daring to put it in writing. And Eissa still might.
But Egypt's "free press" has been pushing back the red lines that once kept a tight lid on dissenting views. After decades of state media control, privately owned broadsheets are expressing opinions and exposing issues their government would rather suppress or spin......
But changes do not take place in a vacuum, he says. Communications technologies such as satellite television, mobile phones and the Internet have allowed journalists working in parallel with bloggers and activists to dig deeper and circulate news faster and further. The government has faced a dilemma: ease restrictions on freedom of speech, or face the consequences of trying to muzzle a dizzying array of backdoor channels.
"Two things started opening outlets for us to disseminate news that the government doesn't want anyone to know about," El-Hamalawy told IPS. "One was the launching of Al-Jazeera and the other was the rise of the Internet, starting from about 2000."
Al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based pan-Arab satellite news channel launched in 1996, rose to prominence after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and now claims over 50 million viewers. Western and Arab governments have accused the network of sensationalism, but media analysts say it was the first television station to provide independent and often critical analysis of Arab regimes.
"With Al-Jazeera, we started seeing news that was not necessarily handed to us by the state media," says El-Hamalawy. "Love it or hate it, the channel played a revolutionary role in the Arab world. For the first time we started seeing dissidents on TV. Before that, if a dissident or (political activist) showed up on TV, you knew he was a phony."
Television remains the most important source of news in Egypt given the country's high illiteracy rate, estimated at 26 percent. But Internet penetration is growing. More than 15 million Egyptians, or 18 percent of the population, are regular users. And in logging on, they are exposed to uncensored news and views......."
"CAIRO, Feb 14, 2010 (IPS) - Not long ago an editorial like the one that appeared in the independent Al- Dustour newspaper this week might never have made it into print.
In his weekly column, entitled 'Fraud for the benefit of Egypt', chief editor Ibrahim Eissa accuses Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak of systematically and meticulously rigging elections and referendums to perpetuate his rule. While many Egyptians may suspect this, just a decade ago a journalist would likely have been imprisoned for daring to put it in writing. And Eissa still might.
But Egypt's "free press" has been pushing back the red lines that once kept a tight lid on dissenting views. After decades of state media control, privately owned broadsheets are expressing opinions and exposing issues their government would rather suppress or spin......
But changes do not take place in a vacuum, he says. Communications technologies such as satellite television, mobile phones and the Internet have allowed journalists working in parallel with bloggers and activists to dig deeper and circulate news faster and further. The government has faced a dilemma: ease restrictions on freedom of speech, or face the consequences of trying to muzzle a dizzying array of backdoor channels.
"Two things started opening outlets for us to disseminate news that the government doesn't want anyone to know about," El-Hamalawy told IPS. "One was the launching of Al-Jazeera and the other was the rise of the Internet, starting from about 2000."
Al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based pan-Arab satellite news channel launched in 1996, rose to prominence after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and now claims over 50 million viewers. Western and Arab governments have accused the network of sensationalism, but media analysts say it was the first television station to provide independent and often critical analysis of Arab regimes.
"With Al-Jazeera, we started seeing news that was not necessarily handed to us by the state media," says El-Hamalawy. "Love it or hate it, the channel played a revolutionary role in the Arab world. For the first time we started seeing dissidents on TV. Before that, if a dissident or (political activist) showed up on TV, you knew he was a phony."
Television remains the most important source of news in Egypt given the country's high illiteracy rate, estimated at 26 percent. But Internet penetration is growing. More than 15 million Egyptians, or 18 percent of the population, are regular users. And in logging on, they are exposed to uncensored news and views......."
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