No abstract

No abstract

At least two pivotal moments in Egypt’s 2011 uprising took place on talk shows on the country’s private satellite television channels. In seeking to understand how these shows evolved, under authoritarian rule, to the point where they could host such moments, this article explores the impact of online media on their evolution. Taking account of studies into online–offline media interaction in democratic and nondemocratic settings, the research traces processes behind the rise of oppositional talk on Egyptian television during three consecutive periods. It finds that these had as much to do with particularities of national politics and economics as with transnational digital networks. Indeed, it was the restrictions on mainstream media that pushed political communication online, which validates Kraidy’s theory of hypermedia space, where multiple points of access to digital media are seen to facilitate contestation of the status quo. Yet, unequal offline power relations continue to shape these access points.

No abstract

ContentsExecutive summary vii note on Transliteration of arabic x Historical Background to the rise of Egyptian Journalism xi guide to Egyptian media outlets mentioned in the report xv names and positions of some Egyptian Journalists and Bloggers mentioned in the report xvii 1. a national rethink of news Values 1 Intensified repression of the media under SCAF 4 A re-energised news sector 12 Overview 19 2. lessons from the push for professional autonomy 21 Diverse approaches to the profession 23 Individuals vs institutions 33 Attitudes to social media as tools of news-gathering 41 3. stimuli for a public service Ethos 49 Journalists' initiatives outside the state-run media 51 Public ownership scenarios for state-run publications 56 Support for an independent ERTU 63 Implications for journalism in the private commercial sector 69 4. nuts and Bolts of a new Deal 73 Unionisation in a legal limbo 76 Voluntary codes at company level 81 Scope for cross-border support Labour and NGO laws' impact on free speech 5. Conclusions Recommendations notes Bibliography acknowledgements vii Executive summaryOf the numerous transformations in Egyptian journalism throughout its long history, those that preceded and followed the revolutionary uprising of 25 January 2011 were especially momentous. In recent years, thanks to the rise of news leads and political information in expanding informal online spaces, journalists in mainstream media had the means to challenge misinformation from the dictatorial regime of Hosni Mubarak and his ruling National Democratic Party. Increasingly persistent popular protest, worsening corruption, and Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election in 2005 emboldened them to do so. By September 2007, in the words of political blogger Baheyya at the time, a 'different breed' of journalists 'from starkly different schools' had come to the fore. With the turmoil of 2011-12 and an expanded search for a 'new kind of journalism' that would be credible, timely, relevant to ordinary people, and untainted by complicity with military rule or Mubarak's business cronies, the diversity multiplied.Immediately after the handover of power to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), headed by the man who was Mubarak's defence minister for 20 years, journalists were subject to two opposing trends. As Chapter 1 of this book illustrates, one trend was repressive, marked by retention of the old government-controlled press and broadcasting structures, the appointment of discredited figures to key media positions, military summons and prosecutions for coverage unfavourable to SCAF, and accusations that journalists were working to 'foreign agendas' . Most notably it was seen in violent physical attacks on reporters covering protests in Cairo and elsewhere. Elements of media repression continued even after Egypt's first civilian president, Mohammed Morsi, seemed to win a power struggle with the military in August 2012.The other trend was potentially liberatory. Here it was a case of officials being called to account on...