Post by Moses on Jul 9, 2005 10:23:44 GMT -5
Is Egypt taking steps to preserve its pyramids of the press?
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Editorial
This week, 10 new editors took over the respective helms of leadership at Egypt's largest state-run newspapers, in a move aimed at injecting "new blood" into the national press. The dramatic government-initiated shake-up was long overdue; many of the former editors had remained in office for more than 20 years, staying long beyond the required retirement age of 65. Some had even held their posts longer than President Hosni Mubarak, who is nearing the end of his fourth six-year term.
The government has said that the new editors, most of whom are in their 40s and 50s, will bring with them the innovation that will make the state-owned media more competitive. As Al-Ahram columnist Mohammad al-Sayed Said put it: "There is no doubt that a significant proportion of readers have stopped buying the national newspapers in favor of independent and opposition papers in an attempt to find out what's really going on in the news."
But one hopes that the initiative is not just an attempt to breathe new life into a stale project, but rather, a first step toward privatizing the state-owned media.[That hasn't helped here in the US -- or with the Lebanon Daily Star, for that matter] If this step is followed up with more efforts to privatize the government-owned media after Mubarak wins the election, then the move makes perfect sense. But if it is merely an attempt to maintain control over the media, even now in a global information age of privatization, Egypt will be losing the equivalent of its "pyramids of the press."
Egyptians can take pride in the fact that they have been at the forefront of Arabic media for almost 200 years. In fact, the very first newspaper ever to be published in Arabic, Al-Wakaa al-Masriyya, or the Egyptian Gazette, was founded in Egypt in 1828. But in an age of satellite television, Internet and other new media, Egypt's government-run press is looking more and more like a dinosaur. [You mean they should have 24/7 sex & corporate propaganda like Berlusconi's privatized media in Italy?]
Whether old blood or new blood is leading these institutions is not the real issue. The question is whether these institutions are relevant and to whom. Arabs look at government-sponsored media projects - whether it's Egypt's Al-Ahram or America's Al-Hurra - with increasing skepticism. The only way for such institutions to remain competitive is to demonstrate that they maintain a distance between themselves and government, and therefore provide fair, objective and balanced reporting.
Mubarak has led the drive to privatize countless state-owned institutions in Egypt. In this sense, he has taken many important steps in the direction of a free market. Consolidating the management of newspapers is perhaps a first step forward toward privatization of the state-owned media. If it is, then we can look forward to Egypt advancing its role as a hub for independent and free press. If it isn't, then sadly, Egypt is sacrificing one of its greatest national treasures.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Editorial
This week, 10 new editors took over the respective helms of leadership at Egypt's largest state-run newspapers, in a move aimed at injecting "new blood" into the national press. The dramatic government-initiated shake-up was long overdue; many of the former editors had remained in office for more than 20 years, staying long beyond the required retirement age of 65. Some had even held their posts longer than President Hosni Mubarak, who is nearing the end of his fourth six-year term.
The government has said that the new editors, most of whom are in their 40s and 50s, will bring with them the innovation that will make the state-owned media more competitive. As Al-Ahram columnist Mohammad al-Sayed Said put it: "There is no doubt that a significant proportion of readers have stopped buying the national newspapers in favor of independent and opposition papers in an attempt to find out what's really going on in the news."
But one hopes that the initiative is not just an attempt to breathe new life into a stale project, but rather, a first step toward privatizing the state-owned media.[That hasn't helped here in the US -- or with the Lebanon Daily Star, for that matter] If this step is followed up with more efforts to privatize the government-owned media after Mubarak wins the election, then the move makes perfect sense. But if it is merely an attempt to maintain control over the media, even now in a global information age of privatization, Egypt will be losing the equivalent of its "pyramids of the press."
Egyptians can take pride in the fact that they have been at the forefront of Arabic media for almost 200 years. In fact, the very first newspaper ever to be published in Arabic, Al-Wakaa al-Masriyya, or the Egyptian Gazette, was founded in Egypt in 1828. But in an age of satellite television, Internet and other new media, Egypt's government-run press is looking more and more like a dinosaur. [You mean they should have 24/7 sex & corporate propaganda like Berlusconi's privatized media in Italy?]
Whether old blood or new blood is leading these institutions is not the real issue. The question is whether these institutions are relevant and to whom. Arabs look at government-sponsored media projects - whether it's Egypt's Al-Ahram or America's Al-Hurra - with increasing skepticism. The only way for such institutions to remain competitive is to demonstrate that they maintain a distance between themselves and government, and therefore provide fair, objective and balanced reporting.
Mubarak has led the drive to privatize countless state-owned institutions in Egypt. In this sense, he has taken many important steps in the direction of a free market. Consolidating the management of newspapers is perhaps a first step forward toward privatization of the state-owned media. If it is, then we can look forward to Egypt advancing its role as a hub for independent and free press. If it isn't, then sadly, Egypt is sacrificing one of its greatest national treasures.