WHAT FREEDOM OF PRESS?
Whenever the Egyptian constitution faces any kind of change, Egyptians wait in anticipation to see what they will start protesting against; it’s not just because we like to oppose anything produced by the government, but because they manage to go to lengths that shock big factions of the population.
Recently, the 50-member Constituent Assembly preliminarily passed articles concerning freedom of the press and publishing. Of course, the amendments were laughable – to say the least.
One of the amendments, Article 51, gives Egyptians the right to own and issue media outlets through notification and “according to the law.” What “law?” I believe that such articles give sufficient (and unnecessary) space for abrupt-laws to be issued that would eventually impede the “freedom” the Article supposedly provides.
Article 52 allows censorship during war(s) or even in preparation of the latter.
I couldn’t help but think of German Nazi-era propaganda when I read that article. How long will it take the government to realize that the media should be acting as a watchdog and not a rallying tool?
The media should not be used as a government propaganda tool at times of war or unrest; it is a medium that should be informing audiences of what is actually taking place.
Article 52 included another shocker; journalists are not to be detained because of any published content, unless they incite any sort of violence.
I believe that most of the time, when the media carries out its role of fact-finding and informing citizens, it naturally incites controversy and/or violence because people are notified with information they often know nothing of.
Of course, while this information faces the possibility of being welcomed by many, it simultaneously faces the possibility of being opposed by as many people; if not more.
Unfortunately, the picture those articles put in my mind is that whenever debates break out regarding anything the media portrays, the journalist at hand will end up in a prison cell for “inciting violence.”
At times of war, they will have to tame their tongues and will be prohibited from practicing what they preach.
Will journalists give in to those boundaries? Or will they overcome the obstacles the government constantly faces them with?
Mariam Mohsen
Editor-in-Chief
mmmohsen@aucegypt.edu
