The Middle East in the News
•Cora Lewis, September 28, 2008
•”Egypt Editor Jailed Amid Press Row” (News Article)
•Al Jazeera -http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/09/200892812321154180.html
•Article Summary: Ibrahim Eissa, the chief editor of Egypt’s independent Al-Dustur daily, was sentenced to two months in jail for spreading “false information … and damaging public interest and national stability.” Officials claimed that an article about the health of the 80-year-old president led to the loss of $350 million in foreign investment.
More than 20 newspapers suspended publication for a day in protest.
Time: September, 2008
Place: Egypt
Key People: Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president
Main Ideas: Freedom of the press! “Amnesty International, the London-based human rights group, had earlier denounced the trial, saying it was part of a “pattern” by Egyptian authorities who bring criminal charges against journalists to “chill” media freedom in cases of public interest.”
•Your Response to Article:
The fact that newspapers suspended publication in protest – and that many reliable media outlets reported on the president’s health - indicates that this trial was a sham, evidence of the erosion of civil liberties in Egypt. The press is in many ways a watchdog, an investigator, a protector of democracy and accountability in government. When the press cannot write about the president, for fear of imprisonment, fines, or other penalties – the country has no accurate perception of events, and the government can get away with anything. Controlling the media is a first step towards outright dictatorship.
Unfortunately, voluntarily suspending publication in protest is probably not the most effective way to combat forced censorship! Even if it’s only for a day…
In the U.S., the truth is a defense against legal action. Thanks to “Cato.” Sadly, that is not the case when the justice system is already degraded.
{ 1 } Comments
As a working journalist yourself, Cora, you well understand the fragility of “freedom of the press.” Our own experiences during the lead-up to the Iraq War and while other sensitive issues are unfolding should alert us not to take the gift of a free press for granted. Alas, I fear that we would give it up — perhaps gradually, by infinitesmal increments or maybe by discernible degrees, ceding it in chunks, each time a wave of “patriotic” public opinion cows editors and makes publishers tremble. In a highly competitive and increasingly ominous print-media environment, how easily might we cave in when vulnerable bottom lines appear to be threatened?
Should the continuing story of Egyptian government use of the courts to intimidate potential alternative voices make Americans, the ultimate source of billions in aid money, think twice about the “democracies” we are called upon to defend? Or, should be put such sentiments aside in a dangerous world and focus instead of cultivating strategically important friendships with whomever might serve our self-interests?
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