|
DE-PRESSED STATE
New blood is flowing in the national
press after the government jettisoned 10 heads of state-run newspapers
– some of them having occupied their positions since the days
of Sadat – and filled their posts with a younger generation
of editors. Frankly, it was about time. The state press has become
a dinosaur in an era when Egyptians have access to a wider variety
of information sources, whether independent newspapers, satellite
television or the Internet. Few, if any, Egyptians have any confidence
in national newspapers, which extol the government’s achievements
while glossing over its failures.
Not surprisingly, the editorial shakeup comes during the run-up
to presidential and parliamentary elections – a time when the
government traditionally puts on its best reform outfit. Most suspect
it was purely cosmetic, as the new batch of editors – all promoted
from within – are known for their loyalty to the state.
The nature of Egyptian state media runs contrary to the reforms
the government says it is committed to making. State media discourages
muscular debate and forces a standard line on news coverage. It
can only really serve the public interest if its editorship is given
a modicum of independence.
It’s easy to criticize Egypt’s state press, but lately
things haven’t been looking too good in the US either where
the state is increasingly interfering in the free press. Two American
journalists were recently charged with contempt for failing to disclose
their sources in the “Plame Gate” scandal, a bizarre affair
in which a covert CIA agent was outed after an unnamed Bush administration
official leaked her identity to reporters. Absurdly, a Pulitzer
Prize-winning reporter sits in jail because she may have talked
to sources about the agent, though never actually wrote a story
on it.
The Fourth Estate is facing an ever-increasing array of challenges,
both from governments and itself. The editorial replacements in
the Egyptian state press provide a rare opportunity for positive
change. Hopefully, it will allow these ailing publications to grow
into trusted, reliable and respectable sources of information.
It’s important to recognize that a healthy press is a pillar
of democracy, encouraging the plurality of views that drives political,
economic and social advancement. Ordinary citizens have more at
stake in the issue than they might imagine, as a healthy press effectively
monitors government policy and holds public officials accountable,
making them less likely to abuse their power.
CAM MCGRATH
Submit
your comment
Top
|
