Madbouly's media red line

Egypt Independent

3 days ago

'For every nation, newspapers serve as a benchmark of their standing in science, literature, ethics, and customs; they are the mirror reflecting all these aspects.'
This quote from Ibrahim Al-Yaziji (1847-1906), founder of Cairo's Al-Diyaa magazine, came to mind when I saw Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly discuss acceptable and forbidden criticism in the media.
The Prime Minister affirmed at a press conference the people's right to criticize, but set conditions: it shouldn't 'offend the image of the state.' That's how we understood his message.
He alluded, without naming them, to countries that don't allow any negativity to be published about them, and even punish those who do. We certainly know which countries he's referring to, a subtle jab at ongoing skirmishes in the media and social sphere within the Arab world.
However, Madbouly often misses the mark!
He consistently confuses the state with the government, a grave error if you knew its significance, because the government is not the state; it is merely a government. The state is a far grander and loftier entity than any executive government. Therefore, discussions about 'the image of the state' should be left by the Prime Minister to other institutions.
He should stop conflating them, something we've warned against in previous writings!
Public service is a challenge, and constantly rehashing 'fourth and fifth-generation warfare,' even if true, shouldn't distract the government from its duties. It needs to look in the mirror, see itself, and discover its reality by standing before the mirror of its citizens.
His remarks championed authoritarianism in media, where the government deems itself solely entitled to determine the facts and information reaching the public, all to preserve what it perceives as 'the image of the state.'
This is despite the fact that times have moved on, and the circumstances have now become far more complex.
According to this government-centric view, media institutions should adhere only to what is issued by the government and its entities. They should publish only the statements they receive, which often contain 'silent rhetoric' about their activities, and ignore any developments in how news and information are received.
Currently, over 50 million Egyptians are active daily on social media!
I honestly don't know the degree of freedom Madbouly desires for the media to be 'disciplined' (from his perspective) while simultaneously maintaining what he considers 'acceptable criticism' without veering into the 'evils of forbidden criticism.'
Is acceptable criticism, then, merely adhering to the centralization of information and accepting the government's monopoly on news, interacting only with its uncommunicative messages and unrevealing reports?
Because a fundamental, public expression of the government and its achievements is missing. The first lesson is to differentiate between the government and the state.
I believe that, from Madbouly's perspective, 'acceptable criticism' means we should simply listen to his weekly pronouncements and report them verbatim, without any analysis or discussion.
He seems to think this governmental disclosure is sufficient, despite every such announcement generating a mountain of questions, starting with its timing, duration, and topics, and extending to the government's communication skills with the public itself.
Some might view the Prime Minister's remarks as a public reprimand directed at the media. However, I see it from another angle: it is, unfortunately, a tremendous opportunity for the very thing the Prime Minister fears most to proliferate—the flood of misinformation on social media.
Because when professional institutional media is absent due to restrictions, the caves of disinformation on social media grow larger, seizing opportunities to prey on people's understanding and corrupt their minds.
Any civilized nation must respect the press and view its vitality as being in the nation's highest interest, enabling it to learn and benefit from it in evaluating and improving public performance for the betterment of its people.
As for drawing lines around 'acceptable criticism,' this would return to a practice the world abandoned long ago.
Europe overcame the trials of its dark ages during the Renaissance through a true belief that transcended injustice in all aspects of society, and it all began with the word—the very same word that still seems to bother the Prime Minister.
Author's bio:
Alaa Al-Ghadrify has been the Editor-in-Chief of Al Masry Al Youm newspaper since October 2023, and the Executive Editor-in-Chief at ONA Media Group since 2016.
He is also an opinion writer in Al-Watan newspaper and Masrawy website, and an advisor at the Egypt Media Forum.
He further serves as a lecturer in television journalism and in-depth journalism for postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University.
He worked as Editor-in-Chief of CBC Extra channel, which he founded, as former Managing-Editor of Al Watan newspaper, and former Executive Editor-in-Chief of its website.
He also co-founded the Al Masry Al Youm newspaper, the Al Watan newspaper, and the Al Ashera Masaan program on Dream TV channel, and was the Head of Program Editing at Alhurra channel.