In a new escalation for the dramatic events that have been taken place in Egypt’s most famous independent and privately Newspaper since the third day of the presidential election , the editor in chief of Al Masry Al Youm Mohamed El-Siyad Saleh was dismissed from his position by the chairman of the daily paper’s board and its managing director on Thursday.
Either way, this is not a good sign for press freedom or media freedom at the end of El-Sisi’s first Presidential term and the start of his second presidential term.
It is not a big secret that the freedom of expression as well the media in general in the past four years in an unprecedented way.
Mubarak was smart enough to a margin of freedom of expression and journalism in the county so people can vent their anger.
Journalism is not a crime .. period.
Saleh was dismissed over a headline published in the front page of the newspaper by none other than Abdel Moneim Saeed and Abdel Latif Al-Manawy ,the two famous Pro-Mubarak/Pro-Sisi’s media figures.
Abdel Moneim Saeed has also ordered the newspaper not to publish anymore any op-eds for writer Abdel Nasser Salama.
The famous Pro-Mubarak writer has been very critical to Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in the past couple of years.
Those orders by Saeed were issued following a sudden slowness in the official website of the newspaper on Wednesday.
People who understand in Networks say that someone lowered its bandwidth. Other are saying that Egypt's biggest independent and privately owned newspaper is on the verge of being blocked in Egypt !!
All of that happened because of a headline some did not like.
Sunday afternoon, Egypt’s High Media Council fined Daily Al Masry Al Youm “AMAY” LE 100,000 for allegedly publishing misleading news as referring its editor in chief and one of the reporters to an investigation at the Journalists Syndicate in Cairo.
The High Media Council which is led by veteran pro-regime journalist Makram Mohamed Ahmed also ordered the newspaper to apologize to the National Elections Authority in the daily newspaper itself.
All that happened because AMAY published on its first page in the edition of Wednesday’s issue a news with the headline saying the following in Arabic ( الدولة تحشد الناخبين اخر ايام الانتخابات) or “The state mobilizes the voters in the last day of the elections”.
Sunday afternoon, Egypt’s High Media Council fined Daily Al Masry Al Youm “AMAY” LE 100,000 for allegedly publishing misleading news as referring its editor in chief and one of the reporters to an investigation at the Journalists Syndicate in Cairo.
The High Media Council which is led by veteran pro-regime journalist Makram Mohamed Ahmed also ordered the newspaper to apologize to the National Elections Authority in the daily newspaper itself.
All that happened because AMAY published on its first page in the edition of Wednesday’s issue a news with the headline saying the following in Arabic ( الدولة تحشد الناخبين اخر ايام الانتخابات) or “The state mobilizes the voters in the last day of the elections”.
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| The issue with the headline that caused trouble |
It seems the headline and the news itself did not like some VIPs did not like the title or the news because the AMAY editorial team decided to change to remove from the first page as well the AMAY’s website and its cache !!
Late on Wednesday, AMAY’s Presidential correspondent Mohsen Smika declared his resignation on his official Facebook in a short post.
Late on Wednesday, AMAY’s Presidential correspondent Mohsen Smika declared his resignation on his official Facebook in a short post.
Matters have reached to a dark tunnel , as political stances and not profession stances are being forced on AMAY , the latest stance was its headline on Wednesday’s first edition. Thus I declared my resignation from AMAY
Some think that Smika was slamming the regime but he actually is slamming the publishers of the newspaper, above them Salah Diab and his son.
One look to Mohsen Smika, you will know that the man took the side of ‘the state’
On Thursday, Egyptian Prosecutor General ordered an investigation with AMAY editor in chief for insulting the Egyptians !!
When I searched, I found that notorious Samir Sabry filed a legal complaint with AMAY editor in chief for insulting the Egyptians and state institutions with that statement !!
Al Masry Al Youm has not committed anything wrong in its headline on Frontline because in Arabic it described perfectly what the Egyptian government was doing from attempting to mobilize the public into voting !!
The governors in several governorates were doing so with all those rewards to the village and county as well city with the high turnout !!
This is called mobilizing in English and (حشد) in Arabic !!
The AMAY should not have changed its first page or apologized but it seemed that there was an extreme pressure on the privately owned newspaper. Needless to say, I do not know what kind of pressure the paper and its owners are facing right.
The attack on AMAY continues by the hour and some are saying that it goes beyond a headline.
The High Media council also fined Masr Al-Arabia News website LE 50,000 for publishing an Arabic summary on how New York Times covered the Egyptian presidential elections "without checking the facts. "
Ironically Masr Al Arabia is among the +400 websites blocked in Egypt due to alleged Muslim Brotherhood connection so I do not know how the High Media Council read or knew about that report in the first place without VPN !!
One look to Mohsen Smika, you will know that the man took the side of ‘the state’
On Thursday, Egyptian Prosecutor General ordered an investigation with AMAY editor in chief for insulting the Egyptians !!
When I searched, I found that notorious Samir Sabry filed a legal complaint with AMAY editor in chief for insulting the Egyptians and state institutions with that statement !!
Al Masry Al Youm has not committed anything wrong in its headline on Frontline because in Arabic it described perfectly what the Egyptian government was doing from attempting to mobilize the public into voting !!
The governors in several governorates were doing so with all those rewards to the village and county as well city with the high turnout !!
This is called mobilizing in English and (حشد) in Arabic !!
The AMAY should not have changed its first page or apologized but it seemed that there was an extreme pressure on the privately owned newspaper. Needless to say, I do not know what kind of pressure the paper and its owners are facing right.
The attack on AMAY continues by the hour and some are saying that it goes beyond a headline.
The High Media council also fined Masr Al-Arabia News website LE 50,000 for publishing an Arabic summary on how New York Times covered the Egyptian presidential elections "without checking the facts. "
Ironically Masr Al Arabia is among the +400 websites blocked in Egypt due to alleged Muslim Brotherhood connection so I do not know how the High Media Council read or knew about that report in the first place without VPN !!
Updated on 3/4/2018
Security forces stormed the HQ of Masr Al Arabia inspecting the PCs "to see any pirated OS versions in order to find some legal violation" and took its editor in chief Adel Sabry to a nearby police station. The security forces also closed down the HQ of the independent news website !!
Mada Masr quoted one of the journalists there saying that the raid and the arrest of Sabry got to do with the fact that they have not paid the LE 50,000 fine !!
Mada Masr quoted one of the journalists there saying that the raid and the arrest of Sabry got to do with the fact that they have not paid the LE 50,000 fine !!
Updated on 5/4/2018
Journalist Adel Sabry is detained 15 days pending investigation for a list of charges including spreading lies and operating a news website without a license of city council !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Either way, this is not a good sign for press freedom or media freedom at the end of El-Sisi’s first Presidential term and the start of his second presidential term.
It is not a big secret that the freedom of expression as well the media in general in the past four years in an unprecedented way.
Mubarak was smart enough to a margin of freedom of expression and journalism in the county so people can vent their anger.
Journalism is not a crime .. period.
Journalism is not a Crime
ReplyDeleteWe are living in the age of hypocrisy
ReplyDelete"Late on Wednesday, AMAY’s editor in chief as well its Presidential correspondent Mohsen Smika declared his resignation on his official Facebook in a short post."
ReplyDeleteHe is not the Editor in Chief
Egypt can't get out of the shithole. With the water crisis hitting soon, the "7,000" years of exploiting the poor Egyptians will finally come to an end while the dumb rich idiots will queue foreign embassies for a way out. Good bye Egypt, it was shitty while it lasted.
ReplyDeleteLast year when I was in Egypt, I talked to random folks in the streets, I got depressed. Egyptians do not care about freedom, education, democracy and governance. Now, I see a nation of uneducated, ignorant, sexist, racist individuals. There is no hope in this country. It is going in one direction: towards absolute chaos. The country will implode. How soon? Give it 20 years.
ReplyDelete