Abstract This study examines the coverage of the Yemeni crisis, before and after the outbreak of the Gulf crisis, by Al-Jazeera English news websites. It aims to identify any existing variation in Al-Jazeera’s news coverage with respect to the Yemeni crisis, thus examining the degree to which Al-Jazeera maintains its …
Read More »Media Barred from Trial of Egyptian Press Syndicate Leaders
June 4, 2016—The Qasr el-Nil Court prohibited journalists from entering the trial of Press Syndicate head Yehia Qallash and senior board members Khaled al-Balshy and Gamal Abd al-Reheem.
Read More »Human Rights and Media Organizations Condemn Arrests of Key Egyptian Media Figures
May 30, 2016—Amnesty International called the recent arrest of Egyptian Press Syndicate members "an alarming setback for freedom of expression." The Syndicate leaders were questioned for nearly 12 hours apropos “sheltering” Badr and al-Saqqa at the Syndicate. The prosecution accused the men of harboring fugitives.
Read More »Cabinet of Egypt Approves Bill Governing Media and Press
May 16, 2016—Egypt's Minister of Planning and head of the National Committee for Press and Media Legislation, Ashraf al-Araby, announced the Cabinet's approval of a new bill today. The proposed law includes 230 articles that promise to protect and regulate the work of the media.
Read More »Egyptian President al-Sisi Meets with Intellectuals Amid Rising Concerns over Media Freedom
March 22, 2016—Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi initiated an open dialogue today with prominent intellectual figures, according to a statement from the President’s Office. The meeting, which was attended by approximately twenty invitees, marked the inaugural installment of a series of planned national dialogues among politicians, intellectuals, and media workers.
Read More »BOOK EXCERPT | Media, Revolution and Politics in Egypt
With the demise of the second Arab autocrat within a month, people power seemed on the verge of revolutionizing the Middle East, a region known for its monarchs and presidents for life. Abdalla Hassan's book unpacks Egypt’s media and political dynamics—tracing events leading up to the 2011 revolution, the 18 days of uprising, military rule, an Islamist president’s year in office, his ouster by the army, and the reestablishment of the military presidency. Expanded freedoms of expression, in the press and on the streets, have contracted with the skillful reinvention of repression. This is the story of an uprising.
Read More »Human Rights Organizations and Public Figures Call for Release of Egyptian Writer
January 30, 2016—Dozens of public figures and organizations called for the "immediate release” of writer Hesham Gafaar today, marking the passing of 100 days since his arrest.
Read More »Dec. 8, 2015 – Egypt Ministry of Interior says no gain when publishing prohibited
With a series of recent high profile cases, there has been substantial scrutiny on the Egyptian government’s treatment of journalists. Arab Media & Society speaks with Ashraf Al-Anani, Director of the Security Media Department at the Egyptian Ministry of Interior. (Arab Media & Society)
Read More »How Egyptian Laws Contradict the Universal Principles of Freedom of Media & Press
“I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” This was Thomas Jefferson’s decisive answer when asked to choose between “a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government.” Throughout the past four centuries, the universal avowal of democracy and the rule of law have dramatically evolved. As a …
Read More »Media Policies and Freedom of Expression
The School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the American University in Cairo hosted a two-day conference on Media Policies and Freedom of Expression from February 25-26, 2015. The goal of the proceedings was to help strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks, especially in regard to freedom of expression in Egypt. Hussein Amin and Sarah El-Shaarawi revisit some of the notable discussion from the conference.
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